Gotham at Daybreak
by Red Room Flare
Summary: Eventually, they had to drop the 'Teen' part. Features the Titans as they are shoved into adulthood by the unexpected death of one Dark Knight. RobinRaven DISCONTINUED
1. The Fifteenth

_Okay, quick AN. The genre of this story is Romance/Drama/Angst/Humor. Yeah, weird combo, but I figure if it works with Bailey's… Anyway, this is a growing-up story, and Robin-centered. Warning: yes, there's important character death in here._

_I figure the Titans are 18-19 in this story. Yes, Terra's dead, and everything's as canon as I could make it…I just messed with the intra-personal relationships. Of course, by canon storyline I mean Teen Titans storyline; Batman the Animated Series, Justice League, Batman Beyond, and Justice League Unlimited are, of course, severely screwed with. But who cares?_

_Yeah, it's RobinRaven. There's some nice one-sided RobinStar, as well as some StarBB and flashback-hints of RobinBatgirl and BatmanCatwoman. Deal with it._

_BTW; I'm not the one profiting from either Teen Titans or Justice League. Or Batman. So I don't own them, okay?_

* * *

    The Teen Titans needed a new name; that much was perfectly clear. With Cyborg, it eldest member, only two weeks from turning twenty, the 'Teen' part was fast becoming obsolete. Though this did not escape our clever heroes' eyes, no one dared mentioned it. Their imminent adulthood was taboo in the Tower, the eternal playground of the five adolescent guardians of Jump City whose painful childhoods and turbulent development had left them more confused than the average, dizzy young adult.

    The painful truth was apparent to the eyes. Beast Boy, for one, had left his soft, rounded days behind, and was a tightly wrapped package of musculature. Though certainly not tall, he had grown enough and was powerful despite the boyish haircut and charming, open face. There was even a surprisingly… charismatic glint in his green eyes, a suaveness that became all the more unsettling when one recalled the crude boy that he used to be—and sometimes still was. Cyborg, predictably, had remained almost the same—he had always seemed like a slightly smaller adult, anyway. At 1.90 m, he towered over most people, and his hard jaw and broad shoulders portrayed a seriousness only betrayed by the constant twinkle in his human eye. The always-observant big brother to the end, he played his role masterfully, while still managing to find time for his two obsessions: the T-car and Wonder Girl.

    Starfire, too, had remained mostly unchanged—tall, waif-life and delicate—no amount of mustard seemed to be able to affect her complexion--, with small breasts and narrow hips, she had been called to model in magazine covers more than once. Her long, red hair and slender legs had won her alone quite a following in the media; everyone loved the silly, fun-loving sweetheart of the TT. Raven, on the other hand, had filled out very nicely; with full breasts, round hips, and pouty, pale lips, she had changed from Goth-girl into a seductive demoness of lavender hair and a 1.72 stature. Still brooding, still mostly silent, still mostly unfeeling, Raven had nevertheless secured a deep friendship with all the Titans—a certain bird in particular.       

    But of all the Titans, it was Robin that changed the most. The puny circus boy was gone, and instead there was a young man all but fully grown. Though his shoulders had drastically broadened nearly overnight, the lithe grace of an acrobat was still apparent in his supple body, which thrived with understated musculature. His voice had deepened as expected, but rather than the thundering rumble that came from Cyborg's throat, Robin's voice was full of undertones and all the startling subtlety of velvet. His face's angles had sharpened around his always-present eye-mask, and if you looked closely, you could find a rather unsettling resemblance to one Bruce Wayne. With every passing day, the red, green, and yellow of the Robin ensemble seemed to fit him less and less, while the black in the uniform seemed to become him. With his hair slightly longer and his smile slightly rarer, it was obvious that the boy Robin was slowly, but steadily, giving way to the young man who would be Nightwing.

    Perhaps it was because of this that Starfire found it harder to look at him that particular evening, as they all sat around the kitchen table, engrossed in a game of poker. Though the Boy Wonder's grin was as cocky as ever, his comments just as good-naturedly sharp, his laugh as easy, the vision of Robin seemed to be over posed by the shadow of her memory, of that trip into the future in which she had met the Nightwing that could have been. Though confident that that particular future could not come to pass now—it was too late---, it still scared her, simply because it was an omen. Things were changing, and she was rather doubtful that it was for the best.

    Desperate to relax and get her mind off useless insecurities, she inquired, "Friend Robin, was yesterday not the fifteen?"

    Without turning from his cards, he answered her, "Yes, Star, it was. Why do you ask?" He pushed a couple of chips to the center of the table, opening the bid.

    "I see your five," Cyborg, started, shuffling the cards in his hands, "and I'll raise you ten."

    "Agh! You suck as a dealer, Rave." Beast Boy complained playfully, ignoring the glare the girl shot him. "I fall."

    "I seem to recall you mentioning some event of great importance that was to take place on the fifteen of the present month. Oh, it seems I fall as well, Friend Beast Boy." She added, without so much a glance at her cards. To Starfire, winning was not nearly as important as solidarity and friendship.

    "Don't blame the dealer. Someone as…cluttered as yourself is bound to have bad luck for this type of…games." Raven said, her monotonous voice betraying a hint of amusement. "I call." She threw a pile of blue chips into the pile. "Wonder Boy?" Robin threw a couple more chips in, and revealed his cards.

    " Two pairs. Sevens and Queens. Event…on the fifteen? Are you sure, Star?"   

    "Shit." Cyborg dropped his hands. "Three Jacks."

    "One down, one to go. Rae?" Robin turned to his right, addressing his friend, his hands itching for the very becoming pile of chips on the table.

    "Straight flush. Hearts." She laid the cards down with a nearly imperceptible grin that made Robin smile back, despite his loss. Gracefully, she lunged across the table and dragged the money home.

    "Dude, that's what, the fifth round in a row? Is she cheating?" BB muttered, his eyes staring longingly at the gigantic pile of soon-to-be cash resting on Raven's right.

    "As I was commenting, Friend Robin, I distinctly recall some sort of…charity gathering to take place in Gotham City."   

    "Charity..?" Robin concentrated. The answer came instantly. "The ball. The Arcaham Asylum for the Criminally Insane Charity Fundraiser Ball, sponsored by Wayne Enterprises. Shit! I can't believe it… I completely forgot! Br—Batman will kill me!" An irrational fear had gripped him, and he found it hard to breathe. Bruce had stressed the importance of his—rather, Richard Grayson's assistance to the ball. The Batman had clearly stated the importance of Robin not neglecting his Richard persona, lest he became a being with no past and regretted it if he ever decided—or was forced—to hang up the costume. And as Richard Grayson, adoptive son and protégée of multimillionaire Bruce Wayne, his presence at the ball was, more than required, expected. Robin had assured the Caped Crusader that he would show up, and it was this promise, rather than the actual sin, that worried him. He hated letting either Batman or Bruce down. Completely disregarding the cards and chips in front of him, he banged his forehead against the table. "I'm." Thump. "A." Thump. "Dead." Thump. "Bird." Thump.

    "Chill, dude! What would Batman care if you showed at some frilly-nice dance for rich people? I mean, if there'd be some robbing or stuff going down there last night, we would've known about it. 'Sides, ain't Gotham sorta his territory?" Raven shook her head at Beast Boy's attempts of cheering Boy Wonder up. She knew better, even if no one else did.

    "Friend Robin? Please stop hurting yourself. There is nothing to be gained by the senseless killing of neurons." Starfire's timid words cracked a smile in everyone's faces, save Raven's, and they even made Robin stop banging his head—she sounded so genuinely preoccupied he'd feel remorseful to continue. He left his face pressed to the table anyway. Beside him, Cyborg began cleaning up. Taking an empty bag of nachos and a couple of dishes, he stood up.

    "BB's right, Bird Boy. Too late to be sorry; I'm sure it's no big deal. Besides," he added, returning to the table and gathering the cards, "Batman hasn't called to yell at you, right? There you go—no problem."

    "Hey! Watcha doing, dude? Gaming time's not over!" Beast Boy protested Cyborg's actions.

    "Please." Raven addressed the green boy dryly. "Haven't you lost enough money already? By the way, I'm expecting my winnings before dinner tomorrow night, and I do take personal checks, so no excuses."

    "I'll let you know," Beast Boy shot back, "that I still have a few aces up my sleeve."

    "You have been cheating, Friend Beast Boy?" Starfire asked. "Why have you not won more, then?" Beast Boy face-faulted, and Cyborg chuckled.

    "It's an expression, Star. He means he's not done playing."

    "Oh, wonderful! What shall we play next, then?" she exclaimed eagerly.

    "Hmmm…How about strip poker?" Beast Boy suggested rather avidly.

    "Forget it. You're never getting me that drunk." Raven said, standing up to leave the room. She paused at the door. "Uh, again."

    "Strip poker? What is this?" Star asked, staring directly at Robin with a too-innocent smile on her lips. Raven rolled her eyes; Star's constant struggle to 'secure Friend Robin's _companionship_' had been going on for years, and she, for one, did not buy this wide-eyed innocence act anymore. For one thing, she asked the same question every time Beast Boy brought up the game. Thankfully, Robin didn't even look up from the table. Raven frowned.

    "Forget strip poker," Cyborg said, before somebody—Beast Boy in particular—answered the question. "How about a nice round of Death-or-Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball?" Though admittedly not his favorite game, Star seemed to have developed a rather…endearing attachment to it.

    "I call the green controller!"

    "I desire the purple one, Friends!" Both Titans were out the door in a blur. Cyborg chuckled again, and followed, leaving both Birds alone in the kitchen. Robin, for his part, was now mourning the waste of a perfectly legitimate excuse to visit Gotham City---he rarely did, nowadays, and it made him ache. He was startled to find that he missed the dark city; for all its corruption, Gotham was---a pair of cool hands on his neck broke his train of thought. Though startled, he didn't move as they began to slowly rub the tension off his shoulders.

    "You should call Bruce, and apologize. It'll be fine." Raven's voice came from close to his right ear. She was right; he should call Bruce and—Bruce? Hadn't he said Batman? "C'mon, Boy Wonder. I'll walk you to the Communications Room." The warm breath and the gentle hands moved away, and Robin sat up, watching Raven leave the room. She paused at the door, and he stood up, feeling strangely comforted and only slightly confounded by the uncharacteristic physical display of affection.

    They didn't say anything as they walked down the stairs and into the seventh floor landing, but that's the way it was with Robin and Raven. Though they were close--perhaps closer to each other than to the rest of the team--they weren't quite sure why or how. They just were, and while they could talk about mostly anything—except for their pasts—they chose not to quite regularly, and it suited them just fine.

    They were almost at the Communications Center when a very loud beeping announced an incoming call. Robin swore as he ran to the controls, sure it'd be Batman ready to sermon him. With Raven beside him, he flicked the 'Talk' switch, and was surprised to find not Batman, but Batgirl on the line.

    Barbara Gordon looked a mess. Her blonde tresses, always so immaculately styled, were in disarray. Her eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with watered down mascara, and her lips a pasty white against her tearstained face. She trembled even as she sat in front of the screen.

    "Babs...what's wrong?" Robin was shocked to see his old girlfriend in such shape. A sinking feeling began in the pit of his stomach. It intensified when she sniffed for answer.

    "Rich…" Babs never called him anything other than Dick--she knew how much he hated it—, especially not when he wore his uniform. Identities were not a matter of triviality in Gotham, and both of Batman's protégées had learned to keep them separate. "Rich, it's…" she sobbed again.

    "Tell me what's wrong, Babs. Are you okay? Did something happen to you?" he pressed carefully, but she shook her head, actively crying again. "Is it your father? Or Alfred?" she shook her head again.

    "Rich…it's Bruce." She finally croaked out, making Robin stumble. He felt Raven's hand on his shoulder, steadying him, but he was too shocked to be thankful for it.

    "What about Bruce?" Robin's voice was tight, stretched, completely unlike his usual tones. Batgirl sobbed again, a wave of fresh tears coursing down used tracks through her cheeks. "Barbara, tell me, what about him?" His brain already feared what she might tell him, but all his instincts rebelled against it. Batman—Bruce was strong and powerful and brilliant. Nothing could get to him. He was the best. Better than Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, the entire Justice League combined. The very idea—it didn't fit—against the grain, completely--Bruce couldn't be—

    "He's dead, Richard. Bruce's dead!" Barbara finally sobbed out in her broken voice, a hysterical fit that surely wasn't her first of the day taking over her as she crumbled into herself. Robin felt all the blood leave his body, his hands felt empty, and his lips felt cold. He didn't know how he managed to answer.

    "...are you sure?" He hadn't prayed in years, and found his skills to be quite rusty.

    "Of course I'm sure! I saw the--- I saw him myself!" she exploded.

    "I'll be right there Babs. Don't worry," his voice was completely foreign to his ears—dead and dry, hushed and dusty. "I'll be there before you know it." He didn't wait for her to acknowledge him, only flicked the monitor off and stumbled back, the emotional blow manifesting itself physically. Raven hugged him from behind. He felt her cool arms around him, felt her cradle him unto herself, rocking their bodies softly. He closed his eyes, trying to push the unbearable pain away, desperately fighting to replace it with the comfort of Raven's softness. She turned him around so that they were face to face, her arms enveloping him still. He pressed his face to her neck, his arms reaching around her and holding tightly; she was an anchor, driftwood in a sea of pain and confusion, and he struggled to hold on, to make himself smaller so as to better fit into her embrace, to disappear into her and God, it hurt! It hurt too much for conscious thought, and Robin's mind was gone, and he was in auto-pilot now.

    Two tears managed to escape his eyes, before he pulled away. Raven didn't completely let go of him, her hands still on his shoulders. "I need---I need to get my stuff, and tell the others. I—I don't know how long I'll be…I'll take the R-cycle, I think. I'll be in Gotham in two hours—I need to—to tell the others, first. They--"

    "I'll tell them." Raven's quiet voice interrupted him. "You just get your stuff ready, I'll take care of the rest, ok?" Robin nodded, still too raw for coherent speech. He left the warm cocoon of her arms, grimacing at the cold wall that seemed to slam into him the minute he stepped away. He continued walking, nonetheless. At the door, he turned, "Thanks, Rae, I—"

    "You're welcome, Robin." Her voice was soft, almost tender. He tried to smile at her, but only managed a very small lip twitch. She recognized what it was meant to be, anyway, and nodded. As Raven watched Robin walk away, she was filled with a deep, deep sadness. The potted plant in the corner sighed and died.

    Half an hour later, Robin was ready to go. He had changed into regular clothes, his mask, boots and utility belt the only elements from his uniform present. In a rucksack he carried a change of clothes, his communicator, his wallet, some money, his toothbrush, deodorant and precious little else.

    The rest of the Titans awaited him in the common room, uncharacteristically subdued. Robin hated the pity in their eyes, but was thankful for the genuine sorrow and concern that glistened in them. He was surprised to see that Raven, too, had an overnight bag with her. His face must've reflected the question, for Cyborg said,

    "We agreed someone had to go with you, Rob." The giant's voice was quiet. "I already called Aqualad, Speedy, and Wonder Girl, and they've agreed to come help us out for as long as we need; don't worry, I didn't tell them…what's happening. B, Star, and me will stay here and wait for them, in case something happens, but we'll join you and Raven as soon as we can." He laid a heavy hand on Robin's shoulder, giving him an affectionate squeeze. "You gonna be ok, Rob?" Robin nodded wordlessly.

    "We're real sorry, dude. Bats was definitely one of the coolest people around." Beast Boy clapped him on the back, rather awkwardly, unsure as to how to behave. Star only stood in the background, quiet and still. They stood in uncomfortable silence, each one hesitant. Death had touched them once, long ago, but it had been a common burden. There had been no wrong attitudes, no expectations, just reactions. Now…they had nothing to guide them.

    Finally, Robin walked away. Raven followed him, but not before assuring them that they'd call when they reached Gotham. Hurrying to catch up with her friend, Raven steeled herself. As unfamiliar as emotions were to her, she was convinced she was the best one to accompany Robin, and though Star and Beast Boy disagreed, Cyborg had thought so too. The matter had been quickly settled after that.

    The truth was Raven was feeling very queer. Her heart ached for Robin; that much was to be expected. But there was something else, something deeper—she felt her heart breaking with him, and the urge to be with him, to share this brusque pain was so overwhelming, she was afraid she might not be able to control it and the Tower would burst into flames---she had already killed two plants and destroyed half the china. She couldn't understand it. Shaking her thoughts off, she climbed onto the R-cycle. Settling behind Robin, she clung for dear life as he sped off.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

_Red Notes:_

_Some of the more experienced readers might detect certain recurrent themes; Batman's death, mainly. Rest assured that I will strive to stay off familiar paths. And don't worry, I'm in no way dropping BB, Cyborg, or Starfire from the story._

_I'm basing the whole Gotham Family—Bruce, Batman, Batgirl, Alfred, etc.---off the Batman movies, mostly, with a little bit of JL and Batman the Animated Series thrown in for kicks. I don't think it matters, since none of them are Teen Titan material, anyway._

_I know Raven might seem a little OC in this chapter, but have a little faith; everything will be revealed in due time. Or fixed, at any rate._

_By-the-by, I'm shooting for three, four chapters tops for this story; depends on whether or not I decide to throw in a subplot concerning Batman's murderer. Any opinions on this matter are, more than welcome, encouraged._

_Feedback is always treasured; reviews make my day._

_Next up: Raven falls down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland---or rather, Gotham—when she catches a glance of Robin's home world. Robin contacts the JL, and the search for a cause of death is on while he is forced to confront the extent of his relationship with Bruce. Beast Boy frets; Cyborg's busy, and Starfire goes into a very uncharacteristic angst attack. Oh, yeah, and somebody falls flat on his ass._


	2. A Gathering of Fireflies

_Hey. I know I said this would be up Saturday, but I went to see GREENDAY Friday night (totally worth it) so I woke up really late on Saturday and from then on my weekend was a mess (including a power surge that cost me half the chapter---let this be a lesson to you all: you can never hit the 'save' button too often). _

_Don't forget to read the Red Notes at the end—they help turn my ranting into a half-smart idea. _

_And a tiny little warning: this chapter's lime-scented. In case anyone minds._

_Dedication: To all the wonderful people who reviewed Chapter 1, as well as my twisted little ficlet "Asleep at the Oar"---you are such the best!_

_Disclaimer: If I owned them, they'd be weirder. Weird's nice, isn't it? I don't. _

Excerpt from the _Gotham__ Herald_.

BRUCE WAYNE FOUND DEAD

NOVEMBER 29, 2004. GOTHAM CITY. MILLIONAIRE CEO OF WAYNE ENTERPRISES, BRUCE WAYNE, WAS FOUND DEAD IN HIS BED YESTERDAY MORNING. THOUGH THE CAUSES REMAIN UNCOMFIRMED, IT IS WIDELY BELIEVED THAT GOTHAM'S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR DIED OF A CARDIO-PULMONARY ARREST. THE NEWS TOOK MANY BY SURPRISE, AS THE ELUSIVE EXECUTIVE WAS ONLY 48 AND ALLEGEDLY IN EXCELLENT PHYSICAL CONDITIONS. A MEMORIAL SERVICE IN HIS HONOR WAS HELD AT GOTHAM MEMORIAL GARDEN YESTERDAY EVENING, WITH OVER 500 GUESTS COMING FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND DIFFERENT LABOR FIELS. GUESTS INCLUDED THE PRESIDENT, LUTHOR CORP'S LEX LUTHOR, SEVERAL WORLD LEADERS, INCLUDING … THE MAYOR AND MOST OF THE CITY'S OFFICIALS INCLUDING COMMISIONER GORDON. THE SEVERAL TIMES 'MAN OF THE YEAR' IS SURVIVED BY HIS ADOPTIVE SON, RICHARD GRAYSON, 19, AND SELENA KYLE, 42, WIDELY RUMORED PARTNER TO THE LATE MULTIMILLIONAIRE, PHYLANTROPIST, AND HUMANITARIAN. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON BRUCE WAYNE, SEE INTERNATIONAL PG2, ECONOMY PG1, PEOPLE PG1

And from the _Wall Street Journal._

WORLDWIDE UNCERTAINTY: DEATH OF MAGNATE WAYNE THREATENS ECONOMY

AT ONLY TWO DAYS FROM THE UNFORSEEN PASSING OF BUSSINESS GIANT, BRUCE WAYNE, SPECULATION CLOUDS THE AIR. WITH THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF WAYNE'S WILL STILL PENDING, MANY EXPERTS TRY TO GUESS WHO WAYNE ENTERPRISES'S NEXT CEO MIGHT BE. MANY AN EYE HAS TURNED TO RICHARD GRAYSON, ADOPTED SON OF THE LATE MULTIMILLIONAIRE, WHO IS LIKELY LEFT AS SOLE HEIR OF THE WAYNE STATE. AT THE PRESENT TIME, W.E. BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS CEASED MOST OPPERATIONS AND REMAINS SILENT. THE UNCERTAINTY HAS PUT MANY COMPANIES IN JEOPARDY, AS WAYNE ENTERPRISES IS, TOGETHER WITH LUTHOR CORP, ONE OF THE TOP DOGS IN THE WESTERN ECONOMY FOOD CHAIN, AND THE MANY MARKETS IN WHICH IT DABBLES DEPEND ON GREAT PART ON ITS ACTIONS. STOCKS HAVE DROPPED .6 ALREADY AND …

In the _Daily Planet._

SUPERHERO SIGHTININGS ACROSS THE WORLD LEAD TO SPECULATION

NOVEMBER 29, 2004. METROPOLIS. SUPERHERO SIGHTINGS WORDLWIDE REACHED AN UNKNOWN LEVEL LAST NIGHT, WITH CONCERNED CITIZENS ACROSS THE GLOBE NOTIFYING AUTHORITIES OF THE STRANGE PHENOMENON. SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN, THE FLASH, GREEN LANTERN, AQUAMAN, HAWKGIRL, THE TEEN TITANS, AND THE MARTIAN MAN HUNTER WERE ONLY A FEW OF THE DOZENS THAT ALLEGEDLY CROSSED THE GLOBE TOWARDS AN UNKNOWN DESTINATION. THIS 'MASKED MIGRATION' CAUSED PANIC IN SEVERAL COMMUNITIES, AS MANY FEARED ANOTHER EXTRATERRESTIAL INVATION, SIMILAR TO THE ONE ATTEMPTED NEARLY FIVE YEARS AGO. SO FAR, THE JUSTICE LEAGUE HAS REMAINED SILENT, AND INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.

Such were the news Raven awoke to two days after she left the Tower with Robin. Had it really only been two days? So much had changed since then…and her visit to Gotham had unsettled her tremendously.

Batgirl had clung to Robin since the minute he arrived, never leaving his side. She seemed small and fragile in the shadow of the Boy Wonder, quite unlike the confidently strong young woman Raven had met hardly a year past. In some ways, she could understand; the world had shifted unexpectedly under Barbara Gordon's feet, and she couldn't find her balance now—it was either cling to the boy she had loved, the only vague resemblance of her mentor, or fall into the void.

No, it wasn't Batgirl that puzzled Raven, but Robin. He wasn't the same boy who had heart-brokenly clasped at her in the communications room, but a man in complete control of a volatile situation. Not a whimper, not a tear, not a stutter had crossed him from the moment they had stepped off the R-cycle. In the space of two days, he had contacted the Justice League and the directors' board of Wayne Enterprises, erased all evident tracks of Batman's death in complete secrecy, arranged for Bruce's funeral, avoided and/or answered the overwhelming quantity of reporters that plagued the house and phone, and accomplished a million other tasks Raven couldn't keep track of, the last of which had been the superheroes' own service for the Batman.

Raven shuddered just thinking about it. The night had been moonless, death black, the lake a mirror of sable still waters as they stood on the cliff. So many superheroes had come to honor the Caped Crusader…the entire Justice League, for instance, as well as those who flew solo—though they were quite few nowadays, with the League spanning nearly thirty members. The image of them was tattooed into her brain. She remember how they stood—strong, beautiful, immortal, yet so bitterly powerless. She'd been there, stood as their own beside her fellow Titans, feeling the startling surge of belonging and the devastating wave of grief that swayed the heroes and drew their faces in the iridescent torchlight. Never before had they buried one of their kind, she realized.

They were crazy times, the ones they lived, and superheroes and villains had only arisen for the last twenty years. Thus, never before had a superhero died of natural causes. Killed in battle? Heavens, no! Not the great ones, at least.

And Batman, the Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader, the best of them all…he had been the first to go. She realized the impact this had on the superheroes; she could sense the doubt flickering, growing inside all of them, herself included. It had been a rude awakening. The gods were gone. Vigilantes, avengers, rescuers, crusaders, idealists…they were as one tonight.

Only two stood alone. Robin, for one; his normally excessively cheerful uniform of red, green and yellow looked painfully somber. He stood upright, feet apart, shoulders squared, chin up. The mask shadowed his features, and the night finished the job, making them completely unreadable. But his rigidity betrayed him; Raven could see his pain as it surged through his body, tightening his muscles and veins. He stood closest to the edge, in sight yet apart from the mass of heroes.

The other was Catwoman, the only villain—if ever was she such—to have guessed the significance of Bruce Wayne's death. She had already mourned Bruce as Selena Kyle, and now she mourned Batman as Catwoman. She stood in the back, broken but upright, beautiful in her misery like none Raven had seen. Raven thought she understood; the woman had lost not one, but two lovers at the same time. The other heroes seemed to know that, and acknowledged her right to attendance by leaving her be. They all knew, even if they kept it silent, what transpired between the Cat and the Bat, the tragic love that had gone on forever and was even rumored to have sprung a child.

Raven half-listened to the eulogies Superman and Wonder Woman offered, her concentration focused on Robin. She knew Superman had asked him to speak as well, but she didn't know if he would. She doubted it; with each word, he seemed to sink deeper into sadness. No—anger. It puzzled her.

Robin surprised her when he took the stage after Wonder Woman was done.

"Batman…"his voice was weak. He cleared his throat. Better. "Batman was everything any of us could hope to be. He was strong, intelligent, capable, perseverant and dependable. His lifelong ambition was a world of peace and overall, justice, and he strived to achieve it everyday. I believe he came as close to accomplishing it as any of us ever will. His legacy," here he paused, seemingly uncertain. He began again, "His legacy must not be lost. Let us honor his memory by upholding his ideals for as long as the opportunity is available to us—which is to say, for as long as we remain on Earth. May his untimely end serve as a warning to all of us---"here he seemed to take heart, speaking truly for the first time since his monotonous, robotic speech started, "—we are heroes. Not gods—not gods." With that, he walked away, back to the solace of the cliff's edge, leaving a confused mob behind him.

The Boy Wonder's address had been crisp and dry, hardly what one would expect from Batman's protégée. Raven, however, saw the logic in it---it was none of their business what Robin felt towards his mentor's passing. In fact, she suspected he wasn't even sure himself. Why share, then?

When the ceremony was over, Raven nearly flew out of her place in search of Robin. She saw him from afar, talking quietly to Catwoman. The older woman ran her fingernails tenderly down the side of Robin's face, and walked away. Immediately after, Superman was at Robin's side, placing a heavy-looking hand on his shoulders, which Robin promptly shrugged off. Raven had no idea what transpired between them, but she sensed the same numbing anger emanating from the Boy Wonder as she had before. Abruptly, Robin excused himself and walked away. Raven followed.

She reached him just as he got to the foot of the cliff.

"Robin!" she called to him, and he turned. His face scared her; it was white and dead, its every lined coursed with fury. "What did the Man of Steel want?" Whether he would've answered she never knew, for in that moment, the rest of the Titans reached them. Starfire was at the head of them, and she wasted no time in throwing herself at the Boy Wonder's arms.

"Friend Robin! I am most sorry—this must surely be terribly upsetting! All those heroes…please, tell me how I might help you deal with this painful situation!" Robin looked annoyed, and he answered.

"I'm good, Star. Thanks anyways. I'm kind of tired, so I think I'll just go to bed."

"But Friend Robin, you must share your feeling with us, your friends, so that we might help you administer them appropriately." Robin looked ready to burst, and Cyborg intervened.

"Let him be, Star. He's tired." He tried to gently pull her off the boy.

"Star, I just want to sleep, ok?" Robin forced, desperate.

"No! Look, Friend Robin, I realize how painful this must be, but if you don't talk about it with us, it will only worsen. As your friend, I cannot allow you---"

"Let him be, Star."

"---cannot allow you to suffer thus. I will not let you go until you talk to us about your inner feelings." To prove her point, she grasped his wrists tightly and glared at his masked eyes. Without a word, Robin yanked free and stalked away.

"Friend Robin, stop! I know what it—Don't go! Friend Robin, stop walking, or I might be forced to---" Robin took no notice.

"Let it go, Starfire. He'll be alright." She looked ready to cry, and let Beastboy swing an arm around her shoulders.

"Let's get some sleep, Star. Tomorrow we'll talk with him." The green man promised. The beauty nodded sadly. What she said next, Raven didn't know, because she discreetly took off after Robin, leaving the other three Titans to their own devices.

Raven found him in the study, sitting atop the desk, facing a wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor window, gazing angrily at the dark dark night. He turned instantly when she walked through the door, but didn't greet her. His mask was off, revealing his stormy green eyes. Breathless, Raven walked to the desk and sat beside him.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?" her voice was as blunt as ever, as she tried to avoid flinching at the jaded orbs she had never seen before.

"Nothing is."

"Yes, I believe that." She immediately regretted the comment, but he seemed unprovoked.

"I didn't think you would." Silence.

"You mask is off." Seemed as good a start as any. "What should I call you?"

"Anything's fine." He offered no explanation, and they were quiet for nearly ten minutes, before he said, "Go get some sleep, Rae. You can't fix what's not broken."

"You spent ten minutes thinking up that phrase?" Again, she cringed. If she wanted him to talk, she needed to stop attacking him. _Fuck it._ "And by the way, I wasn't aiming to fix."

"No?"

"I was shooting for breaking." She held her breath. If she'd done her job right, he might just open up a notch. Not that she had any idea what to do if he did, of course, but still…

_ I was shooting for breaking._ Her words struck a nerve. He really didn't feel like discussing the issues at hand…but he did feel like a chat. _Breaking._ He knew there were a lot of things in his head just waiting to be cracked and spilled. It occurred to him that, with Bruce gone, only two people knew anything about him—the _real_ him, that is,—Barbara and Alfred. It saddened him, and suddenly he knew what he wanted to say.

"I wasn't always Bruce's son, you know. For over half my life, I was a member of the Graysons—the number one acrobat family this side of the big pond." He knew it wasn't what she expected, but it would have to do. "We used to tour the whole country, never staying anywhere more than a couple of days, a week at the most." He felt himself smile. "I learned to fly before I learned to talk. It may not seem like much to you—flying being a natural-born ability and all---but to me…I can't describe it. Rae, it's the best thing I know. It's so...liberating, exhilarating…" Was that a smile that twitched her lips? "…Like I'm not even myself. I'm greater, larger, impossibly…I don't know. I feel it, in a smaller degree, when I race in the R-cycle. But it's not the same. It's better; better than anything, even sex. When I fly---I feel so powerful, like nothing can ever touch me. I feel eternal." He had lost perception of what he said, and now shrugged, embarrassed. A small inkling of laughter startled him, and he turned to Raven. She was smiling; he had never seen her smile before. It occurred to him that he wouldn't mind seeing her smile more often.

"Anyway, the point is---I was an acrobat once. I was an acrobat still when we passed through Gotham City. Bruce Wayne was there, in the public. So was Two-Face." His voice lost its elation, but none of its intensity. "I hardly remember that day—it's all just a blur of faces and voices and sounds and feelings. I dream it often, but it's different each night. All that matters is—that day we fell. My family died, crashed, plummeted to the ground so horribly…I can hardly describe it. They're dead. I survived. I flew away, safe, and Bruce Wayne took me in. I never knew why he did.

"Maybe he was lonely. Or maybe he felt sympathy for me—his parents, too, were murdered by a criminal. Did you know that?" Raven shook her head, enthralled. "Not many people do. They where returning from the movies once, and they took a shortcut through an alley. A man held them at gunpoint, robbed them, shot both his parents, and left him alive and alone— only Alfred was left to him. That's why he became Batman---he had gotten a wide-eyed look at injustice and crime, and he couldn't bare the thought of it. So he created Batman to satiate his thirst for justice, to rid himself of the itch for revenge.

"Of course," his voice hinted at bitterness, "he never told me that. Alfred did."

"Whatever the reason, he took me in---he told me nothing of Batman, however. That, I discovered on my own. Only then did I become---did he make me" he corrected, as if by habit, "Robin, the Boy Wonder. And I could fly again." He couldn't suppress the smile that split his face.

"I'd be lying if I told you I didn't relish the opportunity to get even---I'm afraid that, at first, I wasn't in for the principles. But slowly, revenge got swept away, and I felt like fighting for---" he stopped suddenly. Raven panicked—_No, don't stop now, not when I'm so close!_

He turned to face her completely, and hesitated once more, before continuing, "I felt like fighting for other people. I felt like making sure no one's wings were cut like my family's were. You understand? It became a choice---I had no obligation to anyone, not even to myself; I had no extraordinary power I had to compensate for, no superhuman abilities meant to be put to good use. I was human, only, and I chose to put myself forefront. I wasn't fighting for me anymore, and it gave me a rush.

"Sometimes, I wonder whether I made the right choice. I had to give up so much---we all did. You know how it is. And what do we get in return?" He left the question hanging in the silence. "And now Batman's dead." _And so we come to it._

"Bruce---he loved few things in the world. Barbara, Alfred, the Batmobile, me---and Selena Kyle. Rae, you have no idea how it was, how much he suffered for her. It broke your heart to see them together; fighting, dancing, dinning, fleeing: whatever they were doing, whoever they were being. Even before they knew who they were—Batman and Catwoman, Bruce and Selena---they seemed perfect for each other. All four of them. Sometimes, Bruce wouldn't come home all night. Babs and me, we'd worry—but we liked to think he was with her. We liked to think so for two reasons---one, because Bruce was like our father, and we wanted him to be happy, if only for awhile. And two…it gave us hope that maybe our lives wouldn't be doomed by our career of choice.

"But now I'm not so sure. I talked to Catwoman today."

"Yes, I saw you." She hardly noticed it had been her to speak.

"I…I got the distinct impression that, given the opportunity, she would've done things differently. And I know she loves being Catwoman as much as Bruce loves…loved being Batman. Maybe love is not the word…need is more like it. What I'm trying to say is…I guess I'm wondering if it's worth it. I don't want to end up like Bruce did---alone. He had me, and Alfred, and Barbara…but he never really let us in, you know? He couldn't. None of us can, really—not completely, anyway. I don't want to reach the end and notice all I turned away…." Unexpectedly, he chuckled feebly. "I'm sorry, Rae. I realize this is a lot to handle…I didn't mean to dump it on you all at once. I wasn't even planning on telling you this, but I guess I got carried away…you're an exceptionally good listener, you know?"

"I did ask, didn't I?" She smiled slightly, imperceptibly, almost shyly.

"Yeah, I guess you did." He smiled back, feeling uncharacteristically foolish---like a five year old in love with his kinder garden teacher.

"Look, Rob. The truth is I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. I mean, I understand _what_ you're saying…I just can't relate to it. I was not given a choice, you see? My powers, the dark, everything…I was born with it. I am what I am—nothing more, nothing less. The only thing I could decide was how to put my powers to use: for good or for evil. And it wasn't much of a choice, to be honest. It's been hard to keep the choice, but still…for me, it's been worth it. Fighting criminals, working with the Titans…it's what's kept me on the right side of the line." _You've kept me on the right side of the line,_ her eyes said, and maybe Robin read that.

"All I can tell you, Rob, is this---don't rush your choice. I imagine things are…messier up there than they usually are, because whether or not you're willing to admit it, you've been through a lot these past days. There's no need to make a decision now; you have enough time to think it through. And whatever you choose---Robin, listen to me, whatever you choose---you can always come back. I promise I--we won't turn you away." She swallowed, momentarily debating her next words. "And---and we'll….I'll let you go." The look he gave her then shook her to her very center, and it seemed her entrails were being knotted into each other. The lamp in the far corner of the room flashed and went off. Raven prayed Robin hadn't noticed.

"Thanks, Rae." His eyes were soulful, beautiful, morose. He held her hands, squeezing them affectionately. He still looked broken, though. "Superman talked to me today, too. Twice. He…he wants me to…Rather, he thinks I should take up Batman's mantle."

"Become Batman?" The thought had entered her mind, of course, often in the past few days, but she had no idea how she felt about it.

"Yes. He believes I have the necessary skills and that it would be, I quote, '_a fitting tribute and token of gratitude to the man that raised me_'." They sat in silence, until Raven couldn't take it. She told the truth.

"It would be."

"Yes, it would." Pause. "In fact, I was supposed to announce it during my eulogy." _That's why it felt so forced, so dry,_ Raven realized. "But I didn't. Superman's mad, and the rest of the League is confused and expectant. They don't want Batman to die. If Batman dies, what is left to them? What hope have they to hold?" Raven nodded fervently; he had read her mind. "It's not about continuing Batman's legacy---I could do that as Robin, couldn't I? It's about preserving their immortality, remaining unconquered…And instead, I told them the truth: they're not gods. We're not gods. Me, least of all---I'm human. How the hell would I…" A tear escaped his eye. "How could I…I mean…I can't be Batman! I don't want to be Batman! Batman's death, buried, gone…and, God, how I wish he were here now! I can't, I'm Robin, only Robin." The tears were coming fast now. "Not even that---I'm Richard, Rich, Dick…not Bruce, and certainly not Batman." His voice was breathy now, desperate, "God, never Batman."

"I'm sorry, I am…The man gave everything to me---he was my father, for Christ's sake! I owe it to him, I know I do…but it's too much, I won't, I can't, God; never Batman!" Raven had her arms around him by now; she felt so frightened by Robin's tears that the reaction had been primal, unbidden, immediate. She didn't know if she did it to comfort him or to hide his painful face from view; she hoped it was the former, because the latter didn't work—she could still feel him shaking in her arms, his tears wetting the front of her leotard, his beautiful velvet voice muffled and nearly undistinguishable against her neck, and it tore her from the inside out. She felt something wet leave her eyes, and realized that she, too, was crying---the first tears ever to leave her eyes, and they were for him. Robin. She realized they pained her, he pained her so thoroughly, so completely she couldn't hold it inside herself. The books in the far shelves cascaded to the floor, and she only held him tighter, wishing she could take his grief away and unto herself.

Raven felt desperate---he was broken now; she had broken him like she said she would. Only she didn't know what to do to put him back together, didn't know how to fix him…if only it'd been Cyborg, or Beastboy, or Starfire that cried. Then she could give them a pat and bully them into feeling right again and she wouldn't care if she'd fixed them right, just as long as the pieces fit nicely enough. But this was Robin, and he had to be perfect; she couldn't just stumble through it, pink Raven wouldn't let her---his anguish was her own, his heartbreak, his guilt, the devastating suffering that ravaged his soul…she felt it all. And she had to stop it, _had_ to, not because it was hurting her—she didn't mind---but because it killed her to know he was feeling this way.

What she really wanted to do was take his broken, battered, worn body away and give him another----her own, even. Anything to make this stop.

Raven did just that--she gave him the only comfort she knew, the only certainty she felt. She pulled away from him, only slightly, and gently took his face in her hands, tilting it upwards to meet her own. The minute their lips made contact, she felt something burst within her---or was that within him? His mouth was like fire—hot and dangerous, provoking to the point of insanity. Suddenly, he was in control, pulling her unto his body, her skin against his own. His hands, everywhere at once, they frantically clutched at her, fighting to bring her closer still, ridding their bodies of the bothersome layers their costumes presented.

She felt like she was drowning in him; her ears where roaring with the sounds of her body, his body, their joint moans and calls, the room being completely destroyed around them. The wooden desk beneath her felt frigid in comparison to the hot sultriness that were their bodies, its surface ridiculously unyielding against the wonderful malleability of him, which seemed to fit exactly against her, filling every nook and cranny.

He not only made love to her; there was sorrow there, and regret, anger, even rage in his passion---so many emotions she knew next to nothing of. He made her gratitude and desperation and utter, overwhelming loneliness. All his guilt, his fear, his sins—he purged them through her in a single night of sweat and tears. She took it greedily, never hesitating, never doubting. It was not sex, not about sex, anyway—the night was her gift to him: redemption. Hope. A chance to let it all go and start anew.

"Rae, I'm flying." That was the last thing she heard--whispered, kissed into her ear---before she fell asleep on his chest, near daybreak.

Outside the door, Starfire was crying.

She'd come looking for the Boy Wonder, convinced that only she could help him. She'd been in the office before Raven had and had pleaded with Robin, begged him for his troubles. She had been denied politely over and over again, until she had to leave because her heart was breaking.

Why wouldn't Robin talk to her—she'd thought then--_her_ that was his closest, most trusted friend? Why did he deny she who he _obviously_ loved—or would love eventually? Why refuse her that loved him so?

Starfire's only comfort had lain in that Robin hadn't let anyone else in, either. She would be the one to help him, she had been sure, and then he'd see…He had to love her, there was no other way around it; only she could save him from becoming the tortured Nightwing that he already half was. Yes, she had thought to herself, I will be the one; no one else can possibly offer the comfort he yearns.

She knew that Raven's presence over the past two days meant nothing. She'd heard the demoness complain—to Cyborg, mainly—that Robin was aloof and unreachable, set on doing everything himself, hardly ever at the mansion. Starfire knew they'd made—or Cyborg had, at any rate—the wrong choice. It still seemed illogical in her mind; how could Raven—cold, unfeeling, ignorant Raven---help her Robin?

Her pairing up with Robin was logical in Starfire's mind; he was handsome and strong, she beautiful and supple. His voice was smooth and syrupy, hers was crystalline. He was human, earthy, musky---she was alien, ethereal, soft. He ran—she flew. His soul was darkened, his heart heavy and hidden---and she was just the thing to change him, to bring love and life back to his heart. She could save Robin from himself, from Nightwing.

And then she'd heard Raven come in through the other door. She'd peeked through the crack in the door, saw them exchange a few words and then sit quietly for what seemed ages. _Foolish girl---you'd thought he would grace you with the confession even I was denied?_

She had almost left when then something went wrong. Robin began to talk, and talk, and talk. Starfire could not hear what he'd said---only little snippets of words. But when he started crying in Raven's arms, it'd been painfully obvious she had lost. But why Raven? What did Raven offer, what could Raven give that Starfire couldn't? Raven was awful, harsh, dark---she knew nothing about feelings, she knew not what it was to feel! Even the dark girl's reach for Robin's lips seemed stiff and forced—mechanical, even.

Spellbound, she'd watched Robin take Raven in his arms, watched as he made love to her hungrily, desperately, intensely. Her ears had been buzzing with wretched cries when she'd heard the worst of them all---_Richard!_ His name. His true name. From her lips, like hellfire, poison, death. It hurt like nothing else---more than being denied, more than the sex, more than standing here and watching her doom with her own eyes.

She'd lost. Not because Robin would talk to Raven, not because he would cry in her arms, or kiss her, or make love to her time after time. She'd lost because it wasn't Robin doing all those things---it was Richard Grayson, a stranger. It hit her physically; she slammed back into the polished wood and slid down to the floor with a painful thud. Her long, perfect legs drawn against her body, her wildfire hair soft around her, she sobbed and cried until her entire body hurt and shook in a fashion completely foreign to her senses. Her thoughts were erratic, half-formed and unaccountable; she didn't know what hurt and why. Through the haze, her brain numbly told her to get up, go to her room. She could cry if so she wished, but no here; _they'll hear me. They'll come. Go._

Starfire stumbled down the hall and to her room.

_Red Notes:_

_So…I feel I should confess: this is only half of what I'd originally planned for chapter 2. Actually, this isn't even what I'd planned for chapter 2—Robin and Raven weren't supposed to get this close this fast. But it sort of flowed out when I was writing, you know? I thought it fitted pretty well, so I let Muse get away with it. However, there's still a lot more to this chapter that I had to cut out and save for chapter 3; I felt the emotional load was already too large, and putting anything else in would diminish its impact. In other words, expect more Star angst, and a hell of a lot more Beast Boy and Cyborg in chapter 3. Of course, Robin and Raven won't be left out._

_The Superhero Thing-y: I thought the superheroes would probably get together for their own memorial service in Batman's honor. The actual funeral, after all, was meant for Bruce._

_Superman: I never really liked him. Period. (I do, however, love Smallville—more specifically, Tom Welling)_

_Concerning Raven's Character: Hopefully, she didn't seem nearly as OOC in this chapter. I know she still seems a little too…openly friendly, but trust me—it won't be so bad once she's had her chance to rant. (which, incidentally, will be the first scene of chapter 3) Besides, you have to remember that it's all in her POV; we get to see how she thinks, and that might lead us to loose sight of how she actually behaves and what she actually does. (unless, of course, you're a lot smarter than I am…which really isn't all that difficult)_

_Robin's Breakdown: Yes, it seems that's all he does lately. But remember: he's been an upright man throughout this whole ordeal. We just don't see it because…well, frankly, it isn't terribly interesting to write. (Imagine having to read through him doing aaaaaaaall he had to get through to prepare for Bruce's funeral and whatnot) And I don't think it's really all that OOC---remember the circumstances._

_Robin's Reluctance: I thought it was pretty logical, him not wanting to become Batman. I mean, Batman's cool and everything, but he hasn't exactly lead the happiest life, has he? And who has more insight into it than Robin? Anyway, this will be further dealt with in chapters to come. Meanwhile, feel free to express your opinion: at the end, should Robin become Batman? Why or why not? (I sound like a Lit Comprehension Exam)_

_Starfire (in general): Yes, I do think she's THAT annoying. But I warrant her reaction at the end is genuine, or at least, likely. Here's the thing (and this is a plot secret, saved for those who actually read my notes) I think Starfire's in love with the idea of Robin and the possibility of making him happy (saving him, it you will), as opposed to actually loving HIM and therefore wanting him to be happy…does that make sense? I confuse myself, but hopefully you're smarter than me and got it. Anyway, again, this will be further dealt with in chapters to come (chapter 3, mainly) And yes, I realize having her watching them is a little sick…but she's not 'watching' watching…she's in shock. It's different._

_Beast Boy and Cyborg: Yes, they have their own plotlines. Have a little patience. _

_Thanks for reading so far. Please review; it makes my day. As always, any and all opinions are welcomed and cherished, whether by review, email, or whatever. You already know what's coming in chapter 3, so…I guess that's it. May the Golden Dragon of Unity accompany you (yes, I just saw Mulan 2) _

_---Red Room Flare (aka Fée)_


	3. Through the Smoke

_Hey---happy holidays! Well, here's the third installment to 'Gotham at Daybreak'. It took me a long time to write (or rather, a long time to start writing), so I hope you enjoy it. It's a bit on the longish side—especially if you count the Red Notes at the end---but it goes quick. Believe you me._

_Don't forget to check out the Red Notes at the end—it really gives the story a lot more depth. Think of them as the 'Special Features' on your DVD menu. No? Then how about the…um, Production Notes on the Batman movies DVDs---which I got for Christmas, by the way. Lucky you. The obsession advances._

_Warning: I couldn't remember what Bumble Bee's real name was. I called her Anne---I hope that's not too bothersome. She's only mentioned in passing, anyway._

_WarningII: I don't know what FFN has against indenting, but it's drinving me crazy. It wont let me indent! Argh!_

_Disclaimer: I asked Santa for them…but I guess I haven't been that good a girl. Maybe next year. For now, I don't own them._

* * *

Before Raven woke up, she thought the desk felt disconcertingly soft and comfy. A fresh warmness enveloped her, and she felt like floating forever, weightless in whatever it was that supported her.

When she opened her eyes, she knew herself to be in Robin's bed, snug in soft down covers, her head pillowed by the most wonderful cushions she'd ever know. She'd never seen Robin's bed before, but she was sure it was---she could feel him in it as strongly as anything. His scent, too—but that came mostly from her.

Raven wasn't disoriented or confused as to her location—how could she forget the events of last night when she had spent all night dreaming of them? And it was obvious that Robin had—very sensibly—decided to move her from the study into a more sheltered location.

Robin. He wasn't on the bed. She was almost disappointed; the idea of waking up next to him…it thrilled her, for whatever reason. It resulted very puzzling, but then again, that seemed to be a common denominator lately. What had come over her last night? She had no regrets—except perhaps the consequences suffered by the room—but her behavior had been irrevocably out of character…and yet so logical, so…right. The cliché disgusted her, but she couldn't deny its suitability; for some reason, last night was the closest she'd ever come to feeling complete.

She didn't mean that in a soul-mate kind of fashion. No, this new wholeness had nothing to do with Robin's intoxicating closeness and all to do with her actions, her thoughts, her feelings, her…heart? She'd had some sort of breakthrough last night, a metamorphosis that she'd intuited even before kissing Robin. Something so abstract she couldn't grasp it for fear of it fading in wisps of nothingness.

Though normally she liked nothing better than solving such a tempting puzzle, right now she felt like leaving it be. Enjoy this new Raven, so wonderfully free. Arching her back in a stretch, she looked around the room. Predictably Robin: Spartan and commanding, full of dark wood, cream, and wine red. The room itself was large enough, with a solid wooden desk, shelves full of books and memoirs from around the world, two snug-looking couches, a laptop, and little else. To the right was a door that presumably led to the bathroom and closet; in front of her, the one that led to the hall. Behind her, French doors opened into a small veranda. And of course, the bed: the wonderful, king-sized canopy bed overfilled with cozy, red comforters and pillows.

She would've been impressed, but she rather expected it after seeing the rest of the manor's luxury. Something caught her eye---a small, framed photograph on the nightstand. There, captured in all their impish glory, were the Teen Titans. The picture dated back to when they actually fit the name, and for some reason it saddened her. She reached out with one hand and pulled the frame down against the table, hiding the photograph from view.

"You don't like the photo?" Robin's voce startled her, but she didn't let it show. Lazily rolling to face the door, she saw him fully dressed in civilian clothes and carrying a tray loaded with food. The intensity of his unmasked green eyes hit her all over again.

"That particular shot isn't my most glamorous." She covered smoothly.

"I always thought you looked particularly lovely." His offhand comment unsettled her. She decided to change topic.

"What time is it?"

"Quarter to nine. Everyone's still asleep." It still was pretty late, considering both their standards. He sat down beside her and set the tray down. "I brought breakfast," he offered, gesturing at it. She looked it over---a cholesterol nightmare. Obviously, Robin had no idea whatsoever as to her eating preferences. But there was tea—thyme, her favorite. And Fitness&Yoghurt—with fresh strawberries.

"Thanks…" she grumbled, and continued to stare at the tray with distrust. Finally, she took the tea. "So…what are you up to for today?"

"I have to go pick up Babs," he told her through a mouthful of scrambled eggs and bacon, "then we're off to Greene, Perry, Miller & Sons. The will reading." He clarified, even before she asked, and took a big gulp of carrot-orange juice. "After that, I have to drop by the Police Station; Gordon wants me and Babs—well, Robin and Batgirl to browse through the police and forensic reports. He wanted Batman, but I told him he was busy…"he trailed off, then shook his head. "After that, I'm taking you to dinner. And we can talk."

"So you'll be gone all day?" He nodded. "Want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I'll be okay. It's going to be hard enough to explain Babs' presence to the lawyers…'Sides, you don't have a civilian identity and I don't trust Beast Boy alone in the manor."

"Alone? What about Cyborg and Starfire?"

"Cyborg's going back to Jump City for the day, to check on things…" Robin stood up, "and Star's…not much help, to be honest."

"And Alfred?" Come to think of it, Raven had seen next to nothing of the famed butler.

"He's not feeling well and…I don't want to bother him…"

"Yeah, well…that's fine. Take it easy, okay?" her voice did nothing to betray her concern at Robin spending the day practically alone.

"Irgh grwill." He called form the bathroom, toothbrush in his mouth. Raven heard the faucet close, and Robin reappeared. He sat on the bed again, and put on his shoes. Raven looked at him in silence. Finally he straightened, and looked back at her. He seemed to hesitate on something, but then he leaned in and brushed his warm lips to hers. When he pulled back, his hand was on her cheek and his eyes were soft tender gentle. Without thinking, Raven leaned in again. This time their kiss was real. A snow-globe exploded, and they broke apart.

"Sorry." Raven offered.

"I don't mind." He kissed her again, briefly. "At all." He stood up and left, closing the door behind him and leaving a mint-y freshness in her mouth. Raven lay back on the pillows. Though she worried for Robin, she couldn't help but be slightly grateful to be left on her own devices at the Wayne Manor—Robin's true home. The adjective stung, to be sure, but it was real nevertheless: The T Tower may be Robin's house, but Wayne Manor would always be Richard Grayson's home. And home is where the heart is, as they say, so Raven didn't hesitate to search for what Robin's head held. She would have liked to know what his heart held, too, but she feared it would be beyond her understanding.

* * *

Cyborg and the T-Car could cover the distance between Gotham and Jump City in an hour and a half. That meant he had an hour and a half to think---and nothing but. He didn't want to think right now—better to enjoy the wind, to savor the thrill of racing through the highway at over 200 miles an hour, loose himself in speed. Fast---was that how he and Bumblebee were taking things? Was his decision too rushed?

_Stop it!_ He didn't want to think about it---he'd already spent too many hours agonizing over his decision; he needed a break. He reached for the CD controls, hoping that whoever had used the T Car last had left something good.

_Something  
Is about to give  
I can feel it coming  
I think I know what it means_

What was that---U2? Aerosmith? Not right now. Cyborg switched over to the radio.

_And I_

_I wanna rock&roll _

_All night_

Disgusted, he switched stations.

_Leeeeeeaving on a jet plane_

_Don't know when I'll be home again_

The Beatles? No, thank you.

_I wonder how, I wonder why_

_Yesterday you told me about the blue, blue sky_

_And all that I can see_

_Is just another lemon tree_

What the hell was wrong with the radio? Dismayed, he turned the radio off and resolved to face the silence.

Leaving the Teen Titans. Who'd thought it would come to this? Truth be told, he had. He'd always imagined that one day he'd be done with running around and kicking villain ass. Then he'd settle down, get a nice job in NASA, have a family… but at twenty? It seemed too early. But both he and Bumblebee knew that each day he spent as a Titan might be his last.

Why had he become a Titan in the first place? It seemed he'd never felt a real passion for it. He had been only a kid, scared and confused by what had happened to him. Being a superhero had sounded like fun…what kid did not dream of it? But he'd always wondered…if it weren't for his machine-half, would he have chosen to become a superhero? No. Had there been other option open to him, would he have still followed Robin to the T-Tower? Perhaps. He'd never know.

Cyborg did not regret his years as a Titan. True, he'd had to deal with some pretty heavy stuff---but it had been…what had it been? Fun? Well, yes, but that's not it. Enriching? It had been, but that's not what he meant. It had been…it had been. That was the end of the sentence. It had happened, and for better or worse, Cyborg had survived and he had become who he was right now---a man deeply in love but stuck at a fork in the road. On one side, there was the T Tower, and all it stood for: being Cyborg the hero, fighting evil and injustice, righting wrongs, and at the end, a likely death in doing so. On the other, there was Bumblebee---no, there was Anne. Anne and Vic, and that was pretty much it. The rest was uncertain.

It was then that Cyborg realized that by taking the road to Anne, he'd be letting go of everything he knew and plunging head-first into uncertainty. He knew nothing of this life he would choose, except that it involved Anne. Perhaps it took greater courage to let go than it did to fight criminals---at least then, he knew what to expect.

But why was he going through this again? He had already made his choice---Anne. Vic. Had he not been at the verge of announcing this to the other Titans just two days ago? Yes, he had. The decision was made, and though he'd certainly miss a lot of things---namely the T Car and his friends---he knew it was the right choice. And now…Now he had to wait until this whole Batman storm blew over, and feel like a traitor in the meanwhile.

* * *

Barbara felt uncomfortable from the minute she and Richard had entered the plush office. It was classic and stately, kind of like the Wayne Manor but lacking the comfortable familiarity the latter had. A severe-looking man with a head-full of white directed them to sit in two awkward chairs. She wished she could've sat next to Richard---alone, the room seemed to swallow her whole. She turned her attention to the conversation the man---Mr. Greene, she was told---and Richard were already engaged in.

"And who is this" Mr. Greene gestured to her, "lovely young lady?" _What is she doing here?_, he seemed to say.

"This is Barbara Gordon, a close friend of mine. She's here for moral support."

"I'm afraid only relatives are allowed during the will reading." Barbara knew the man was making that up; it was too ridiculous a rule.

"Let me assure you, Mr. Greene, that her presence is very much required. I'm certain Bruce expected it."

"What is her relation to the deceased?" Both she and Richard cringed. A little angry now, Richard lost his patience.

"They were…close." The attorney seemed to understand the innuendo, and though a little uncomfortable, Barbara ran with it.

"Very well, then." In a very clichéd maneuver, he adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses and cleared his throat. "Mr. Wayne found fit to leave his last will and testament in a more…visual media. The lists and disks Mr. Wayne will make reference to are in my possession and will be delivered to you, Mr. Grayson, along with the corresponding paperwork upon the finalization of the reading." With that, he turned to the television screen behind him and clicked 'play'. The whirl of the DVD player was the only sound.

"I, Bruce Wayne, being sound of mind, hereby state," Barbara gasped soundlessly. There was Bruce, alive, strong and almost real enough to touch—so close. "that all my worldly possessions—a complete list of which has been delivered to my attorney, Mr. Derek Greene---are left upon my passing to my son, Richard Grayson. Alongside such, he will receive an encrypted disk, which he is to view privately. Another encrypted disk is left to Ms. Barbara Gordon which she, too, is to view privately.

"The sole exception to the above is $60 million dollars, $15,000,000 of which will be given to my butler, Alfred Pennyworth. The remaining $45 million are to be administered by Richard as per my instructions.

"The administrating of Wayne Enterprises is left to the Board of Directors of the company. All my stocks, however, are left to Richard, thus making him head CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Another encrypted disk has been addressed to the Board of Directors with further instructions and clarifications.

"The last disk is left to Ms. Selena Kyle." Bruce stopped speaking, but for a minute, it seemed to Barbara like he was looking directly at each of them. Then, the screen turned to black.

* * *

Robin and Batgirl made their way enigmatically into Commissioner Gordon's private office, a simplistic, functional space that was only vaguely familiar to either superhero. Throwing a sideways glance at Batgirl, Robin noticed the unease in her manner that always came with close encounters with her uncle; though her costume was a more than adequate disguise, she lived in constant fear of her uncle discovering her alter ego. Ignoring the offered seats, Robin and Batgirl stood in the shadows, emulating the mystique that came with being associates of the Dark Knight.

"You requested our presence." _Keep it simple, short, unadorned._ The universal rule to dealing with civilians while in disguise.

"Yes, well." Commissioner Gordon sounded uncharacteristically distracted. He sat behind his standard-issue desk and shuffled papers around for no apparent purpose. "Forensics came back with the results from the Wayne death." Robin cringed inwardly, but said nothing; as Robin, he had no ties to Bruce Wayne. Therefore, Gordon had no need to show delicacy. "To be blunt, it's sick. I know the news said he died from a heart attack or something—"

"Cardio-pulmonary arrest." Batgirl corrected softly. Commissioner Gordon frowned.

"Yes, something like that, wasn't it? Anyway, couldn't be farther from the truth. Bruce Wayne was as healthy as a horse, according to good old Dr. Jennings. This guy was done in---no surprise there; that's how the rich and mighty go. But what a way to do it…it's twisted, even by Gotham standards." Taking his keys from his pocket, he opened the top drawer of the desk. Taking out a fat manila envelope, he handed it to Robin. "Here ya go; I can't look at it again."

Robin opened the folder. The first thing was the data sheet---name of the victim, the policemen and forensics involved in the investigation, etc. Next came Dr. Jennings' notes. Robin skimmed through it, while Batgirl peered over his shoulder. _Twelve-inch lacerations consistent though upper torso…palms perforated…femur and tibia on both legs crushed…bullet wound in the right shoulder…broken collar bone…first and second-degree burns throughout the digestive track…shredding of internal organs liver, right lung, esophagus, stomach, right kidney and pancreas…_ "_Heart missing?_" he read out loud, turning to Batgirl for confirmation and then to Gordon.

"Exactly as it sounds—somebody cut him open, shred his insides to pieces, and took his heart." He was silent for a few seconds. "At least the poor devil couldn't have lived through it." Batgirl looked at Robin and her eyes told him differently. He shook his head imperceptibly, telling her to wait and tell him afterwards. He turned to the next page, and the folder almost fell from his grasp. Batgirl clasped his arm and let out a soundless gasp.

The empty face of Bruce Wayne's shell was terrifying---unnaturally pale and tinted with a ghostly blue, it held little resemblance to the handsome features Robin held in his mind. He was naked to the waist, a white sheet modestly covering his hips and legs. Bruce's chest was covered in angry, red markings---most of them, Robin could identify as the lacerations depicted in the previous page but the rest were unmistakable suture marks. Grotesque, exaggerated, and bulky, they seemed a caricature, completely foreign in a real body. The stitches crawled all over Bruce's chest, but some marked a perfect circle over the left side of his chest. _They took his heart through there._

Robin felt tears of rage push against his eyes. His hands clutched the papers tightly, and his entire frame shook. The fury pulsing though him was unlike anything he'd ever known---a more devastating passion than any he'd ever experienced. In a tremendous exercise of will, he repressed it and fought his body into normality. _Save it. It'll serve you later._ Though his breath was labored, the shakes were gone.

Behind him, Batgirl did the same. Robin remembered that she had already seen the body, and wondered briefly how she'd reacted then. There'd been no time—or will---for her to tell him of the specifics concerning Bruce's death, and he hadn't deemed it appropriate to pressure an explanation just then; it would've been too harsh to Batgirl. He knew all along that the circumstances were peculiar---which was to say, it hadn't been a cardio-pulmonary arrest---but it wasn't until now that he learned just how bizarre his mentor's death had been.

Considering unnecessary to view the remaining photographs, Robin closed the portfolio. "Do you have any leads?"

"You know the rules---who stands to gain the most? My eye would normally be on the heir, that Richard Grayson character. But he's just a kid---nineteen, I think. Besides, I've met the boy, and he seems of the decent sort. A little pale, if you ask me, but harmless. An orphan, you know? Twice, now." _Yes, I know._

"I'd still like to talk to him, though. Unless, of course, you and the Bat want to take over the investigation?" his voice wasn't hopeful, but grave. The instincts he'd honed over his many years of police work told him that there was something in this case that was completely beyond his, and the rest of the station's, understanding---something dark, twisted, surreal. Just like Batman and his children. _Not so children anymore, _he corrected. Though still obviously young, both of Batman's protégées were strong and exuded an aura of power and maturity. And tragedy…for some reason, they looked the part of tragic heroes completely. Again, he wondered how they had come to join the Dark Crusader.

"Who knows?" Robin's voice interrupted Gordon's musings.

"Practically no one. The body was dumped in his manor; the butler discovered it and had the sense to keep quiet about it. He called me directly. So it's him, me, two of my boys, and Dr. Jennings."

"We'll do it. You have to drop the case completely; give me any files you have and warn your boys. This investigation never took place. When we find the murderer, you'll now." Robin knew his voice betrayed some of his urgency, but he masked it as a threat.

"That's all there is to it—the guy was naked, and we have no crime scene." A button on his phone began to flash. For a second, he glanced its way. When he turned back, Robin and Batgirl were gone.

* * *

One the roof of a building two streets away, Robin and Batgirl were sheltered from view by an oversized fire escape. The space was narrow, but worth the lack of comfort by the discretion it provided. Batgirl was kneeling, broken, her mask and cowl off. She looked directly at the ground even as she spoke, her hair falling like a curtain on the side of her face.

"He lived through it, Richard." Her former lover's mask, too, was off. "His body wasn't dumped; he made it to the Bat Cave. Alfred said he _walked_ there. When I arrived, he was still alive---I don't know how they did it, Dick. It was awful---his face, God, his face all twisted in pain, and his veins popping. I could see them burst beneath his skin, actually burst! And he was delirious, completely lost---he kept talking to Selena, then you, and his parents, me, then Robin, and again you, the Joker, Catwoman, Batgirl, Alfred, and then himself. It was like Bruce was talking to Batman, and the Batman to Bruce. I couldn't understand most of what he said---I can't even remember it. Just that suddenly he stopped talking and died. Just like that." She turned her face up to look at him, and her blue eyes were blurry with tears. "Then I called you." With that, she burst into tears, and buried her head in his lap, her body shaking with sobs.

"Shhh…" His own voice was shaky and knotted as he ran his fingers through her blond locks. "We'll find them, the bastards who did this. We will." He swallowed hard. "And they'll pay for everything." He knew they would.

* * *

Beast Boy felt lonely. This wasn't a usual occurrence for Beast Boy, as there was _always_ someone to 'entertain' in the Tower. But the Wayne Manor was different. It was big and empty---Robin was out, Cyborg was out, old butler guy had vanished, Raven was lost, and Starfire...uncharacteristically subdued. She had claimed exhaustion and slept in. And with no game console to be found---what did these people spend their money on, then? ---Beast Boy was left to wonder.

Part of him was secretly looking for the Bat Cave that he knew the manor was built over. There was surely an entrance somewhere. Of course, it would be unethical to actually _search_ for it…but if he were to accidentally stumble on it? After all, that's how Robin himself came to become the Boy Wonder. And if Robin could discover Batman's most prized secret, it follows that he, the amazing Beast Boy, would locate the door in a second.

Three hours later, the secret endured. More than a little frustrated, Beast Boy resolved to wake Star up. With a sigh, he turned to face the frighteningly and imposingly long staircase. Then he grinned, and became a small, green pterodactyl.

* * *

Starfire looked in the mirror, and puzzled at her image. She was naked and slender, her orange-tinted skin smooth and soft, like cream. Her legs were well-toned, long and elegant, glossy when she ran her hands up them. She brought both hands to her chest and cupped her breasts—though small, they were well formed and helped maintain the esthetic of her appearance. She let them go, wishing they were larger but nevertheless satisfied by their light weight. Her hair was silken and it fell straight, like a curtain of carroty red almost to her waist. She took it and carefully brought it up to a bun. She turned around to better admire the graceful arch of her neck...perhaps she should wear her hair up more often. Or maybe cut it short.

Anyway she looked at herself, she still was beautiful. She couldn't find the flaw---there had to be one. Otherwise, why would Robin refuse her? Maybe she was too beautiful. No, that couldn't be. Perhaps…perhaps it wasn't about beauty…perhaps her beauty did nothing to help her…perhaps it served no purpose…She looked again, and hated herself.

Star reached for the razor and inattentively cut the palm of her hand. A bright red drop fell, staining the pale carpet. She stared, transfixed, at the wound and slowly brought the razor to her skin again. The cut grew until it extended from side to side of her palm. She stared still, until---disgusted, she let the razor drop. At the same time, he heard a crash outside her room, accompanied by horrific cry.

Pausing only to throw on a terrycloth robe, she ran out only to find what appeared to be a rather large green bird. The poor creature seemed mad; it cried senselessly and banged itself against the wall over and over again.

"Friend Beast Boy!" She cried, realizing at once that the thing was not a bird, but a small pterodactyl. "What is the matter?" At once, the pterodactyl became the green shape-shifter. He sat on the ground and rubbed his head.

"Owie…"

"Are you all right, Friend?" Starfire asked carefully, half-kneeling and inadvertently providing Beast Boy with an unobstructed view of her cleavage.

"I'm better now, Star." Beast Boy chuckled, nudging her head meaningfully in the direction of her robe.

"Oh." Star blushed and stood upright, giggling while cinching the robe tighter. "I did not notice. I was…taking a bath, when I was startled by your crash. Whatever happened?"

"I guess I got a little over-excited and missed the corner turn…" he gave a little laugh, and stood up, using the wall to steady himself. Star's eyes examined him worriedly. "It's okay, don't worry. Hey, how about…" he straightened out his clothes, "you join me for a little 'treasure hunt'?"

"_Treasure Hunt'_? I do not understand."

"We'll walk around, explore a little…I mean, have you seen this place? It's huge!" He looked at her expectantly. "C'mon, Star, it'll be fun, I promise."

"Very well, Friend Beast Boy. I shall join you in this 'Treasure Hunt'. Only allow me a couple of minutes so I can don a more suitable apparel." Blushing a little, she looked down at the alarmingly revealing robe.

"I suppose I can wait." He told her playfully. "Though you look quite delightful in your current…uh, apparel, was it?" Starfire giggled again and went inside the room, throwing one last, shy look his way.

Immediately after the door closed Beast Boy collapsed against the opposite wall, his body shivering uncontrollably. The episode had taken him completely by surprise---it'd never been so strong before. He had actually blacked out for a couple of seconds. He'd lost control. Again. And he would have remained that way, had Starfire not called his name. What was wrong with him?

Just then, Beast Boy heard the door knob shuffle. In a flash, he stood up, smile at ready. Starfire emerged from the room, clad in her usual purple ensemble and looking lovely. "All set?" he offered his arm with mock gallantry. She let out a little tinkling of a laugh and took the offered limb. "Huh? What's that? Are you bleeding, Star?"

"Oh!" she cursed her forgetfulness. "It is nothing...I…I accidentally cut myself with the razor. It is already closing up."

"Are you sure? You don't need any…uh, antiseptics and stuff?"

"No, Friend Beast Boy, though I appreciate you concern. It is most touching." Something didn't sound right. He wanted to press further, but decided against it.

"All right, then, off we go." And together they set out to explore the many dark corridors of the Wayne Manor, Beast Boy never forgetting the Bat Cave that surely awaited them and shoving behind his worry and suspicion.

* * *

With a sigh, Raven threw another book to the pile. She'd spent the entire day in Robin's room, rummaging through his desk and drawers for an interesting book. She had tried the library, but found it locked. Figuring it would be out of bounds for a reason, she had had to make do with the selection in the Wonder Boy's quarters. Most of them were textbooks---sociology, criminology, psychology… She wondered if he'd read them, and decided he probably had; Robin had a unique way of crawling inside a criminal's head that referred a lot of study on the subject. Or was that just natural ability?

Very worn copies of classic texts were also present---_The Art of War, _the _Tao Te Ching, Hua Hu Ching, _among others.Carefully arranged beside them---and looking as though they'd never been touched, let along opened—stood a series of books with titles like "_Cosmic Consciousness; A Classic Investigation of the Development of Man's Mystic Relationship to the Infinite". Yeah, right, Robin's read that._ A couple of mystery novels were stashed in a corner, almost guiltily hidden. Though mystery novels weren't exactly her thing---she'd rather plain old horror---she began to browse through them.

A couple of hours later, she was down to the last. As she reached for it, she absentmindedly knocked down one of the heavy text books--- _Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies_----and it toppled down, liberating the fake end behind it. Curious, she removed inspected the contents of this 'secret compartment': a couple of journals, a bunch of CDs—or DVDs, she couldn't tell----, some photographs…and half a dozen sketch pads. She put the tempting journals and CDs back in the compartment, replaced the cover and book, and took the sketch pads to the bed.

Nestling back on the pillows, Raven lit the lamp on the bedside table and browsed through one of them. What she saw left her speechless. All of them were women; faeries, elves, girls, matrons, spirits, models, hags, anything. The sketches were amateurish, rough and slightly out of proportion, but they conveyed so much beauty, such sensuality…the faces and bodies were far from perfect, yet…they seemed to be so fitting, like it wasn't so much about the body, but about the soul.

She found the same kind of drawings in the next two pads, but the fourth notebook surprised her. Again, the subject was a woman---young, about fourteen, lovely and slightly familiar. The first sketches were rough, simple. As the thick notebook progressed, so did the subject. Her body matured, her hair lengthened, her eyes gained depth. The innocent allure of the bright-eyed girl evolved into a raw sensuality, a physical prowess and appeal that left Raven breathless. By the end, the subject looked roughly nineteen---sometimes clothed, sometimes nude, her eyes remained dark, projecting a threateningly erotic hypnotism that twisted her insides.

When she turned the last page and so the last sketch, she knew who the subject was---with the mask on, she was unmistakable; Batgirl, staring up from every page. _The Elegant Universe; Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory_ burst into sudden flames and consumed unto itself as Raven felt an unexpected flare of jealousy. She'd always known about Robin's old flame, and it wasn't Barbara's relationship to the Boy Wonder that she was envious of---things were confusing enough as they were without having to throw in past relationships. No; she only wished to feel half as beautiful as the blonde girl looked; she wished to posses the same mesmerizing quality, to seem as comfortable in her own skin. And yes, maybe captivate Robin—and Richard---in the same way Batgirl obviously did.

The doorknob jiggling open startled her, and she hurriedly shut the notebook close. Raven looked to the door, expecting it to be Robin but quickly forsaking the idea when she couldn't sense him. The door opened, and in fell Beast Boy and Starfire. They didn't seem to see Raven at first.

"Friend Beast Boy," Starfire said, "I believe this is Friend Robin's room…"

"You're right Star…You wanna poke arou---Raven? What are you doing here?" Now both of them were looking at her with puzzled eyes. Star looked away quickly, but Beast Boy fixed her with a stare. Raven imagined the picture she must've made---sitting in the nest of Robin's still unmade bed and wearing a loose pair of wine-red cotton pajamas she'd found in one of his drawers early that morning.

"The library's locked. I was bored." Raven explained dryly, gesturing at the pile of discarded books. "What's your excuse?"

Beast Boy was quite for a minute, as though waiting for Starfire to exclaim something to the effect of "_Friend Beast Boy and I are on a hunting expedition! Will you not join us, friend Raven?"_. The alien girl, however, remained silent so Beast Boy answered, "We're exploring!"

"Searching for the Batcave, you mean?"

"You wound me, Rae." Raven fixed him with a stare, which he promptly shrugged off. "Anyway, you should come with us. Unless you're too busy frolicking in Robin's bed?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively. Starfire thought she might be sick.

"Frolicking, eh? Big word. Didn't know you had it in you." Raven didn't even bat an eyelash.

"I'm full of surprises. You should try me sometime." He mock-growled in what Raven assumed he thought to be a sensual manner.

"I don't care for tender meat." She countered in her dry voice.

"Ouch!" Beast Boy laughed and Starfire giggled uncertainly, not completely sure if she had understood correctly. "Come with us, Rae. You can vandalize Rob's room later. I'll help, even." He added with a wink.

"Fine." Too tired to say no and knowing they would only press further, Raven gave up and decided to accompany them. Besides, if they did find the Bat Cave, it would be better the two more playful Titans had someone to restrain them.

"Great! Come here." Putting an arm around Star and the other around Raven, he squeezed playfully. "My two favorite girls---let's go!" Raven shrugged him off, but Beast Boy didn't seem to mind. Together, the three of them made their way through the shadowed halls of the Wayne Manor, exploring whichever room seemed promising. It was tiring work, with Beast Boy refusing to leave even one book without pulling or one gargoyle without pressing and Starfire only smiling softly and even so, only at him. Raven, for her part, mostly frowned and offered good-natured sarcasm which earned more than a giggle or two from her fellow Titans.

They were in the entrance hall, at the foot of the great marble staircase, when Star called out, "Friends! This door appears to be locked." They had only found three locked room so far---the library, the master bedroom, and one of the side studies. Though the library remained a mystery---but one too clichéd to hold the entrance to the Bat Cave---, they were sure the bedroom had belonged to Bruce. And while the study might present a puzzle to the other two, Raven knew why that room was locked. Understandably, Beast Boy took this fourth locked door as promising. He rushed to Starfire's side.

"What do you believe it holds, Friend Beast Boy?"

"Probably the good silver." Raven said in a bored voice, before Beast Boy could answer.

"That's what they want you to think! I bet the Ba---I mean, there's all sorts of great stuff in there. Like maybe a game room or something."

"But Friend Beast Boy, we have already encountered the Game Room."

"Then maybe there are two of them!" Beast Boy exclaimed. Raven rolled her eyes. "Okay, or maybe it's a home theater. Haven't seen that one around yet, huh?"

"A home theater? What does this mean?"

"It's like a movie theater, but smaller." Raven supplied in the same exasperated tone.

"Oh! I desire to see this home movie-theater!"

"We could jiggle the lock…" Beast Boy turned to Raven, pleadingly.

"But that is not right, Friend Beast Boy." Star protested. "We cannot break a lock in Friend Robin's home."

"Then I'll open it from the inside!" Without waiting for a reply, Beast Boy became a lizard and slid under the door. A minute went pass, and nothing happened. Slightly concerned, Starfire knocked on the door.

"Friend Beast Boy! Is everything right?" A couple more seconds, and the door swung open.

"The silver closet. Shocking." Raven stated, peering inside and ignoring a slightly dazed-looking Beast Boy. Starfire, however, went to him immediately.

"Friend Beast Boy? What is the matter? Do you feel unwell?" She put an arm on his shoulder and frowned.

"I'm fine, Star. Just got a head rush." He tried to walk out of the closet, but stumbled back into a shelf. Surprisingly, the shelf gave way a few inches. It was enough for the Titans to glimpse the dull blue that glowed behind it. "There's something back here! Star, give me a hand."

"What do you want my hand for?"

"Just help me push." Together, they pushed against the shelf. Behind it, a stone stairway led down. "Yes! See! I told you---the Bat Cave's down there!" Without another word, Beast Boy hurried down the stairs, stumbling almost drunkenly every few steps. With no other choice, the girls followed after him.

**_

* * *

Red Notes:_**

_For organization purposes, I'll go in no particular order._

_This is getting annoying---again, I had to cut the chapter short. There was too much stuff in there already. Still, this one's a filler. The plot hardly moves on. I'll make up for it in the next one, okay? Oh, and if the last scene seems a bit forced, that's because it was---I didn't really want to write it, but it turned out to be necessary. Oh, well. _

_Raven (Scene 1): Yes, she's weird again. I can't help it. I think weirdly, so all my characters do too. I don't know why it always hits her hardest. Anyway, I hope I was able to explain myself---To Raven, the most remarkable thing about the night before was the level of sensibility and…humanity that she achieved. Of course, sleeping with Robin's a big deal too---I'm not underestimating that. But you have to put it in perspective---she's always been a practically empty shell, and all of a sudden she's not only feeling but acting on all these bewildering emotions. She's always been able to figure out what others thought, but she'd never understood—or cared as much about-- the feelings of another person. So one breakthrough at a time, okay? But don't be disappointed, there's more RR stuff coming up._

_Cyborg: I told you he was in this story! Ha-ha! Anyway, I've always thought Cyborg wasn't all that into the superhero thing. I know he cares about the people's well-being and everything but he's not…jaded enough. I know what you're thinking: isn't loosing over half your body enough? Well, yes, but he seems pretty cool with it, almost like he'd rather give it a more practical use. I can't explain it. But you'll get to see that storyline develop in chapters to come. For now, I've got to go do my research on Bumble Bee. _

_The songs: "Kite", by U2…the jet plane song—whatever it's name is---by the Beatles… "Lemon Tree" by….I can't remember…and the rock' roll song by a great 80s band that has fled my memory. I don't own any of them. Or Aerosmith._

_The Will Reading: A free scene. I actually though to cut it out as well, but I was too lazy to think up another way to bring up the disks and stuff. Pointless, really._

_The Police Station scene: Was Batman's death bizarre enough? I though I could go still further, but I didn't want to over do it. As you can see, I will be following that particular plot bunny---and therefore, lengthening this fic by a couple of chapters. Which is good, actually, because I had no idea how I was gonna cram everything in there. (Lain, you were right—4 chapters are not nearly enough)_

_Robin and Batgirl in the Roof: Complementary to the Police Station one. Actually, I wanted a little Robin/Batgirl time. Not romantically, though---I just though that having them connect a bit more would help the story. Also, I needed to bring Babs out of the generic-black-hole a little._

_Starfire: I know I promised more angst. Be patient. There will be. And I hope the mirror scene wasn't too…out of the blue. I just figure she's going through some heavy self-doubt...and when does that hit harder than when in front of a mirror? The blood was for complimentary._

_Beast Boy: And so he, too, emerges from the shadows of the generic-black-hole! His storyline's quite easy to guess, but hopefully I can give it a couple of twists in chapters to come. Also, I was kind of hoping to throw in a little smoothness. I didn't, of course, but it wasn't from lack of trying. Hopefully, he's not too OOC_

_The Sketchpads: I wasn't sure whether to put that in there---it's such a cliché. But I needed a plot devise, and none worked quite like this one. Anyway, they're more for Raven's benefit than to show off any artistic abilities our dear Robin might posses. What I meant was to delve into Raven's character a bit more---about how she wishes to be beautiful in a more earthly fashion. We all know she's got that ethereal creepiness thing going on, but I think she'd want a more…real attractiveness. I don't know; I suck at explaining. (And yes, I also wanted Robin to look good---that's not too terrible, is it?) The model's Batgirl because I though I needed a real person, not just imaginary drawings. Batgirl seemed the logical choice. _

_The books: I've always figure Robin's into sociology---he takes his work seriously, and he ought to be well-schooled, being Bruce's 'son' and all. The book titles I mentioned----__ The Art of War, _the _Tao Te Ching, Hua Hu Ching, "Cosmic Consciousness; A Classic Investigation of the Development of Man's Mystic Relationship to the Infinite", "Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies", "The Elegant Universe; Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory" are actual, real books. I own none of them. Out of them, I figure he's red the Oriental philosophy ones and the Guns, Germs, etc. The others are just for show. _

_The Bat Cave: I've been, uh, studying the movies, and there are a lot of entrances to the Bat Cave. I picked the easiest one---it's actually the one Robin sneaks through in "Batman Forever". _

_Next Chapter: more Cyborg, and Catwoman makes her first (and probably only) appearance. Quite a bit of RobinRaven, as well as Gotham patrolling which I'm sure will be fun to write. I think Star and Beast Boy might be taking the backseat in this one, because I also want to move the murder plot along. Hopefully, we'll see a bit of Alfred. _

_Don't forget to review---it's great encouragement. Also, I'm thinking about maybe dragging Tim Drake (the third Robin) into this---for decorative purposes, mostly. What do you think?_

_Congratulations! You just got past my longest Notes ever!_

_---Fée (aka Red Room Flare)_


	4. A Light in the Sky

_Welcome, freaks all, to the fourth chapter of Gotham at Daybreak!_

_So, yeah, I'm utterly sorry for the disgusting amount of time it took me to get this chapter out. But it's here now, and I do hope you'll enjoy it because it cost me an unnatural amount of effort to write. That's my tears, sweat and blood down there! Well, not quite, but it did cost me dearly-good thing I enjoyed every second of it._

_Anyway, as usual, there's a warning for lime-scent, though it's even lower that the usual amount-so practically nonexistent, then. The chapter's a very respectable 6000+ word in here, not counting my Red Notes, so it is on the longish side-by my standards, at least._

_Thank you, all the lovely people who not only took the time to review but left lovely, encouraging, insightful messages! (All of you, then!) Were it not for those, this chapter would probably had taken me 'til May to finish._

_Lastly, I do not own them-and I do wish I did, though. It'd be all kinds of fun._

* * *

"I guess that's it then." Cyborg sighed, closing the fuse box and looking up at Wonder Girl. "I should be heading back."

"Thanks. The lights on and off were giving me a headache." She offered Cyborg a hand and pulled him into a standing position. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she said, "You sure you won't stay overnight? It's getting late."

"Nah, that's okay."

"You could be out first thing in the morning-what's the use in driving at night, tired?"

"I'm not."

"You're not driving back?" He'd meant he wasn't tired, but once she said it, he couldn't lie-especially since she'd long guessed the truth.

"No; I'm crashing at Bumble Bee's for the night." The wall behind her was suddenly terribly interesting.

"_Really?_" Wonder Girl's voice suddenly took the heightened tone that girls often employ for gossiping. "How _are_ things between the two of you?"

"Yeah, um, we're great, we're cool." He answered uncomfortably.

"C'mon, Cy, you can talk to me. Let's _share_!" she added in her best kinder garden voice.

"Not much to share, really. We're good, I lov-I like her a lot." Any other time, he'd say love-and his companion knew it. She frowned slightly, and stared at Cyborg with inquisitive blue eyes. No doubt the absence of his usual confidence, too, tipped her off that something was wrong.

"What's the matter, Cyborg?" She put a hand on his metallic shoulder. "Problems in Paradise?" He wished she'd stop pressing; his secret was pounding, bursting to be free, ricocheting at an opportunity like this. _I'm marrying her. I'm going to give up being Cyborg._ How easy! And it was Wonder Girl, after all, Donna-he could talk to her. She'd keep quiet. She might even have some advice for him on how to break the news to his friends; after all, she'd known Robin and Star for years. He opened his mouth-and stopped, as Beast Boy's face appeared in his head, followed by Raven's, Star's, and Robin's. How would they feel if they ever found out that they hadn't been the first to know? Or worse, what if they learned of his decision from someone other than him? They would hate him forever-or at the very least, be very very upset.

He owed it to them to keep quiet. They had to be the first to know, no matter how much the secret burned inside him. Blinking, he cleared his head and turned to look at Wonder Girl directly.

"No, no problems-well, actually, I'm scared shitless. I can't remember if our anniversary's Wednesday or next Saturday…and Bee's really touchy about stuff like that so…"he drifted off, watching in relief as a satisfied smile crossed his friend's lips.

"Tell you what-I'll call Bumble Bee and find out for you, 'kay?" He broke into what he hoped was a grateful grin. "She'll never know."

"Thanks, Donna, you saved my ass."

"That's my job, Cy. Or was the golden bird on my chest not clear enough?" She chuckled good-naturedly. "Go, Bumble Bee's waiting for you. You guys will be back the day after tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah—me, BB, and Star, at least. Rob will probably need to stay for awhile still, and since Rae's baby-sitting him…"

"Raven?" Wonder Girl frowned, clearly interested. "Why not Star?"

"Rob and her…they're not as close as they used to be." He answered with difficulty, weighing his words carefully.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I don't know what's up. But I'm worried-for all three of them. There's enough drama around already."_ More than you know._

"You think he'll be okay?" she asked, meaning Robin. They'd talked about this before, and Cyborg gave her the same answer.

"I don't know, Donna. I mean, he's been taking it pretty well…too well for my peace of mind. I know there's something he's not telling us; though, in all honesty, I haven't really had the chance to talk to him straight. But I will. Besides, Rob's a strong bird-I'm sure he'll get through this."

"I hope you're right." They stood in silence for awhile, each one lost in thought. Then, Wonder Girl urged, "You should go, Cy. Bumble Bee might not wait up…" she gave him a warm smile, and he left.

* * *

The Bat Cave was everything Beast Boy had expected it to be, appearance-wise. It was dark and dank, huge. The long tunnel of stairs went deceptively deep into the ground, allowing for an impressively high roof of stalagmites, on which clung thousands of, expectedly, bats. The main chamber had an enormous computer with 9 separate screens and too many blinking buttons. A single chair was in front of it. Another control panel lay across the chamber, but that was it. _Huh? Where's the Batmobile? _And how come there were no training simulators or something like that-the way Robin monopolized the Tower's gym and simulators, you'd guess there'd be some pretty dangerous ones in here.

"Beast Boy! Stop, you moron." Raven called as she and Starfire left the stairs.

"Are you certain our presence here will not be unwelcome to Friend Robin?" Starfire asked, unsure but clearly amazed by the enormousness of the hide out. She knew better than anyone how protective Robin was of his past and it seemed only logical that his paranoia would worsen at a time like this. Although, she reflected, a lot of secrets had been unmade in space of a few days-what was one more?

"Dude—I mean, Star, why would he be mad? It's not like we'll trash the place or anything…I just wanna look around for a bit. Please?" He batted his eyelashes innocently, managing to look surprisingly cute even before transforming into a green puppy. Starfire giggled, and Raven rolled her eyes. "Besides, Rob doesn't have to know." Beast Boy added dazedly, changing back.

"I apologize, but I would not enjoy deceiving a friend." Starfire was incapable of outright lying; in Tamaran, deception was unheard of.

"You won't have to." Raven told her point-blank. "We're leaving."

"C'mon Rae, don't be that way. Look, I promise it'll be quick. Just one tiny run-um, stroll around the cave." He begged, going on his knees before her. She turned her face. Standing up, he turned to Starfire, addressing them both. "Come on; don't tell me you aren't the least bit curious…" In spite of herself, Raven turned back at him, thinking it over. Truthfully, she was itching to explore every corner the cave had to offer. She wasn't naïve enough to think that Robin wouldn't find out-but perhaps he wouldn't be too upset. After all, these were his friends; he might have intimacy issues, but he wasn't about to get angry over his friends wanting to know him better. Perhaps he wouldn't have brought them here, but he was certainly not going to throw them out. At least, she hoped not. It was hard to tell Robin's mind, these days. And he4 really was awfully secretive about stuff like this.

"I admit, Friends, that I greatly desire to further examine this most intriguing cave of bats..." Starfire volunteered, and Raven gave up.

"Fine." She snapped. "Just don't break anything." Star and Beast Boy donned twin bright smiles. Raven feared they might hug her. "And be quick about it." They did anyways, before splitting up and beginning their very thorough exploration of the Bat Cave. One of them must have hit a switch because, suddenly, blue spotlights flashed throughout the cave, the brightest lighting up a platform in the cave's lower level. The three friends stood mesmerized against the railing, staring at the Batmobile.

"What a glorious vehicle…"Star breathed, her eyes wide. Beside her, a speechless Raven nodded. Cool, dark, low, and twisted-ly weird-totally Gotham from the bumper to the inlays of the wheels.

"I wonder if Robin's ever driven it..." Beast Boy's voice was soaked in muted awe.

"Master Dick has never had the opportunity. Master Bruce was very protective of the Batmobile, and I'm afraid young Master Dick never exhibited the appropriated restraint when it came to speed." The three Titans turned around and found the Wayne butler, Alfred Pennyworth, dressed impeccably in a crisp black suit. His face was a curious thing; wrinkled enough to betray his years yet unexplainably ageless.

"You are Alfred, are you not?" Starfire asked, blinking cutely. Robin had once mentioned him as his caretaker, and she'd been curious to meet him. Beside her, Beast Boy laughed silently-_Master Dick!_ Raven elbowed him in the gut, promptly shutting him up.

"I certainly am, Madame. And you, young lady, must be Starfire. The gentleman is without a doubt Beast Boy, and you, miss," he added, turning to Raven, "must then be Raven. Master Dick speaks very highly of all of you." Without giving them a chance to answer, the ancient butler continued. "I'm afraid, however, that he wouldn't take too kindly to your presence in this particular wing of the manor; both Master Bruce and him were highly protective of it. Furthermore, it's suppertime; I urge to accompany me to the dinning room, were a succulent dinner of cold cucumber soup has already been prepared." At their lightly concealed revolted faces, Alfred added, "Of course, if the young master and mistresses would rather pizza, I'm quite certain that arrangements can be made…" The butler trailed off, distracted by the noise of a motor engine approaching. "Oh, dear..." he whispered. The other Titans were already leaning back into the railing, squinting to catch a better view of the fast approaching—but so far, unsighted-vehicle.

To their amazement, the platform holding the Batmobile began to lower, while a new one swished into place from the side. Simultaneously, they saw the unmistakable glare of headlights approaching through a previously undetected tunnel. Suddenly, a red motorcycle roared into view; Robin drove it while Batgirl clung to his back. The impressive machine slowed to a stop right in the middle of the new platform.

Raven stared mesmerized, as Robin coolly removed his helmet and ran a hand through his black black hair before climbing off the bike in one slow, sensual motion that made her shiver. She shook her head, silently wondering when had she become the drooling, wide-eyed type. But he looked wasted-she reflected-hollow. She frowned.

Beside her, Best Boy observed no such quiet.

"Dude! Sweet ride-it's not the R-Cycle, though?" Instantly, the Dark Knight's children looked up. Something between a frown and a sigh crossed the Boy Wonder's face, and he said something to Batgirl. She nodded, and they both trudged up the stairs to the main level.

"That's the Redbird," Robin spoke fondly, if a little sadly, "my Gotham ride." He was quite for a moment. Then, "What are you guys doing here? Did Alfred bring you?" He glanced meaningfully at the man, who remained impassive.

"Nah," Beast Boy answered, "we came in through the closet, man. Cool hiding place, by the way."

"Did it ever occur to you that it's a _hidden_ stairway for a reason?" Batgirl questioned the green man icily.

"Chill, dude-um, Batgilrl! We only wanted to check this place out." The changeling answered, putting his hands up as if in protection. Raven sighed; Robin remained uncharacteristically quiet.

"We apologize, Friend Batgirl, if our hunting of treasure resulted in any inconvenience." Starfire had instantly picked up the hostility on the other girl's voice and attempted to smooth it over.

"Hunting of treasure? You mean you were actually looking for it?" If anything, the blonde's tone went from coolly distant to threatening in less than a couple of seconds. Seeing her attempt at a truce had backfired, Star turned to Raven and Beast Boy for support. The empathy looked away, but Beast Boy said,

"I wouldn't say looking…we were exploring, really, only…and we came though here by accident." He finished brightly, only to be met by Batgirl's cold stare. "Okay, dude, you're freaky. That's the truth-and even if it weren't, we've said it: we're sorry! We would have never come down 'ere if we had known it was such a big deal."

"Not good enough, green boy." She growled. "The Bat Cave's not a tourist attraction; you have no right to be here." She turned to Robin, "I'll be in my room." Then she stormed off.

"Dude, what's her problem?" Beast Boy asked, his eyes following the blonde vigilante as she left the chamber. Robin shrugged, walking towards the computer. "Dude?" Beast Boy called after him.

"If you excuse me, young Masters, I must attend to my charge." Alfred bowed out, leaving the four Titans alone. Robin initiated the computer, beginning to log in to the system. After a pregnant silence, Raven asked quietly,

"You think she's right, don't you?" Robin didn't answer. Unsettled by the Boy Wonder's silence, Starfire added,

"Is this true, Friend Robin? Do you find our presence here displeasing?" Robin sighed, rubbing his temples before turning around to face his three friends. Raven realized that the only reason they weren't getting an earful right then was that the Boy Wonder was too exhausted to be mad. Quite suddenly, she felt guilty for allowing this little expedition-she should've known better than to test Robin's temper at the present time.

"Yes." He finally answered quietly.

"Dude! You wound me!" Beast Boy exclaimed, trying to ease off a very uncomfortable silence.

"May I inquire as to why?" Starfire asked, knowing she was walking on eggshells.

"I think we'd better just go." Raven deadpanned, but her comment went unnoticed.

"I don't want to get into that right now, okay?" Robin shook his head, turning back to the computer. "Let's just go get some dinner, guys."

"Please, Robin. If you do not trust us, I feel we deserve to understand why." Star's voice, though soft, was determined. Raven sighed, and Beast Boy looked away uneasily. There was an echo to the question that concerned neither of them, a clue to what Starfire really wanted to know-_Why don't you trust me? Why won't you talk to me? Why don't you want me?_

"I do trust you, Star-I trust all of you guys. With my life. You know that."

"Then why does it displease you that we gained access to this cave of bats?"

"Because…I, well-"

"We are your friends, and yet all you do is push us away at times when you clearly need us most. If you truly believed in us, we would know your given name-like you know ours."

"You know my real name."

"I know the words-though not by your mouth. But a name is so much more than words! Why is it that you insist on remaining hidden from those that love you best? What is it you fear?"

"I fear nothing, Star-and what little I did has all come to pass."

"I plead that you do not attempt to deceive me, Friend." Her crystalline voice was shot through with heart-breaking hurt. "You must fear something-and I believe that I know what that is. You are afraid of being loved; you fear letting yourself be vulnerable." Her eyes pleaded with Robin, and it almost seemed as if she pitied him. "It frightens you that we might get to know the real Robin. This is why you have chosen not to trust us." _Except he does trust Raven-over you,_ a voice in her head reminded her, but she ignored it.

"Don't be like this, Star." He finally answered, swallowing the anger that pity always awoke in him. "You know I trust you, all of you. I'd dive from any skyscraper and never once doubt one of you would get to me before I fell splat on the street!" He hadn't intended to raise his voice, but still it thundered against the cave walls. When he spoke again, his voice was carefully checked. "This is not about me trusting you-this is about you breaching that trust and completely disregarding my need for privacy and the sanctity of this place!" Though he never yelled again, his voice regained the same overpowering quality of his outburst. " See, I don't think you get just how important this is to me and to Babs. This is the Bat Cave-you breaking in here is the same as if you had knocked down the door to Bruce's bedroom, or his study. This place is Batman; it belongs to him and me and Alfred and Babs. No one else-and right now, I don't much feel like sharing."

"See, it is about trust! You just said it yourself-you will not share your troubles! Whenever I am feeling upset or angered, you are excellent at listening and lending support. But when I try to do the same for you, you will not allow it. This not right-a friendship needs to work on both ends of the chain that binds. You must allow me to care for you like you continuously look after me; otherwise, our relationship will never be complete." It was clear that Star was completely off-topic, yet her words bit all the same. Robin sighed, resigned; he would never get through to Starfire. Innocent, giving, honest Starfire could never understand the jealousy, the egoism that coursed through him as he beheld them on the jagged Bat Cave floor-he didn't even understand it himself. What he wanted to do was yell at her, at all of them, and shove them straight up the stairs and out of the Bat Cave-then lock it from the inside and bar himself in. But then she said, "How can I ever feel like your friend if you never allow me to be one?"

And he understood. And it angered him most of all-though the fury was certainly not directed at her. Or anyone else, for that matter. It was just a free-floating passion that dashed through him like ice-cold venom.

"You want to be a good friend, Star? Then understand this: I have to stop talking. Now, before I say something I shouldn't-and since it's just itching on the tip of my tongue, I need you to back off. I don't want you in the Bat Cave-not like this, not by sneaking around. I would have brought you here on my own time, but you didn't trust me to do so. I'm sorry for that-after five years, it is I who doesn't have your trust." He unkindly stared her down, before adding, "I'm going to go lie down, before I die on my feet. Stay if you want. I don't care any more. " And he stormed off, relishing the feel of three stares on his back.

"Did you ever?" Star called after him, angrier than she could ever remember feeling and deliberately twisting his words. "Did you, Robin?" Robin only. He froze on his tracks, but did not turn around. "I used to think you did-only now I am not so certain and-"

"Stop talking, Star. You don't mean that." He faced her as he dismissed her.

"But I do! You have hurt me before, Robin, but never like this!" Robin looked at her strangely, but she only stared back-and then he realized; she knew. She knew about him and Raven in the study-she knew about their conversation, his tears, the sex. Asking how was pointless-she knew. For a fraction of a second, his eyes turned to where Raven and Beast Boy did their best to blend in with the background. His eyes met the demoness', and he knew himself to be correct because Raven harbored the same suspicion-nay, the same conclusion. When he turned back to the Tamaran, her pear grass bottle eyes were blurry with tears. "I thought you cared-I considered you my dearest, most precious friend. Now I know I was wrong to do so. I will never be good enough to deserve you." Beast Boy coughed uncertainly, and she amended. "Your trust. Your true friendship."

"Star…"She turned her back to him, and shrugged off the tentative hand he placed on her shoulder.

"You can leave now, Robin. I do not desire to discuss this further."

"Star…"

"Leave!"

"Fine. Be that way." And he pushed past a panel in the wall, disappearing from view and never once looking back as Starfire repressed strangled sobs and thundered up the staircase.

Raven and Beast Boy stood in silence, exchanging glances. Beast Boy felt lost, but Raven spoke before he could ask her what just happened. "Not a word, Beast Boy. Not one." And she followed Robin through the cave wall.

But Beast Boy was not stupid-and he remembered the red flannel Raven had changed out of. Shaking his head, and feeling more than a little guilty, he dragged himself back up the stairs.

* * *

Raven caught up with Robin just as he stopped in front of his room. He heard her behind him, and his frown softened involuntary. "What is it?" he asked her, and his voice was devoid of its earlier venom.

"I came to apologize." She answered slowly. He stared at her expectantly. Raven sighed; there seemed to be no end to this week's novel experiences. "I understand why you're upset-it's very well within your rights." That he believed. "We should have known better than to go…_snooping_ around. Especially me." Wasn't it her, after all, that demanded the utmost privacy? "We didn't mean anything by it." She paused, forcing her mouth to pronounce, "I am sorry."

Against his will, Robin smiled slightly at the obvious effort it had taken her to force the words out. He knew what she could've said-how it had been Beast Boy's project in the first place, and she had only gone along with it to prevent them from getting into too much trouble. She could've absolved herself easily from any blame, knowing he'd believe her. But instead, she humbled herself in the name of his anger, the last of which left him when her eyes met his.

"I would've taken you there myself."

"I believe you."

He opened the door, and gestured her in. She obliged him, but paused at the door. "Will you forgive Beast Boy and Star, too?"

"I already did." He answered evenly. "Though it doesn't take the anger away." _Or Star's words,_ they both heard. Their friend's claims still rang in both their heads as they closed the door and settled on the floor by the foot of his bed.

"A fine mess you've made of my room." He told her, opting to ignore heavier topics for the moment.

"I was bored. Extremely bored."

"I can see that." He eyed the piles of books around his desk. His gaze fell upon the sketchpads. "You found my sketches, too."

"I did." The strange jealousy returned, and Raven avoided his eyes. Robin smiled, recognizing her unease by the source and feeling not a little smug.

"And?" He prodded.

"They're…nice." She answered haughtily. Robin laughed, and spontaneously kissed her cheek. Another snow globe exploded. They paid it no mind.

"The blue one's yours."

"Huh?" She couldn't understand, especially when her every brain cell was concentrating on the single spot of her face that Robin's lips had graced.

"Here." He offered her the last of the notebooks, and she reluctantly opened it-only to find her own face staring back at her from every page. Again, the lines were crude, the proportions mostly lost-but it couldn't have been someone else. It really was Raven, as beautiful as she could ever be, even more so with her half-closed eyes and the uneven curtain of silken hair. Raven in flight, really-she looked ethereal, surreal, unattainable; free. As the notebook progressed, the Raven in paper began to loose her otherworldly quality in favor of the earthiness she had so envied. She sacrificed a divine aura for the unmistakable musk of carnality, the solidness of true flesh.

At lost for words, she closed the notebook and stared at its author-Robin wore a small, satisfied smile that she felt her own lips begging to reflect. She had never known herself beautiful, or desirable-until now. She was undeniable and young and pure sexual energy desperately bursting through every pore of her delectable skin. That's how she was with Robin; that's who he made her be. He gave her the reality she had always sought-the earthiness that was sweat musk human over the illusion of demonic immortality.

Without thinking, Raven straddled him and tore at his mouth with her lips. She wanted to show him that he'd seen right, that she indeed could be the mortal temptress of real raw flesh. She felt him push back with his tongue and hot stinging lips, his hands clutching the tissue around her hips as if wanting to claw it off the rest of her body. She pushed him flat on the floor and continued her ravage, drawing blood from his bottom lip before trailing down to his neck, using her teeth to rip the fabric of his uniform whenever it got in her way.

"Whoa, take it easy, Rae." He panted in her ear, before forcing her face back to his own and kissing the underside of her chin. "All. The time. In the world." And then he bit down on her neck, and she found it hard to believe that he truly wanted to slow down.

* * *

Cyborg knew she beautiful, especially when she slept-all cocoa-swirl skin and long, curled eyelashes. She was lovely with her plump, parted lips and the tiny sights that escaped her every once in a while; ravishing in the way her slender fingers clasped the yellow pillowcase. But she was wonderful when she banished his doubts, when she disregarded all the unknowns-and perfect when she dispelled his guilt and opened his eyes to the only choice he could have ever made.

Her tiny foot rubbed against the exposed part of his leg, and he knew he couldn't wait any longer. He'd tell them before nightfall.

* * *

Robin's head pounded and his eyes hurt from the glare of the computer screen in the otherwise pitch-black room. It'd been hours since Raven had fallen asleep and he'd started to work on his mentor's case; so far, he seemed to be getting nowhere. Taking a deep breath, he tried to make sense of the seemingly random pieces of information he'd assembled: the police file, Babs' and Alfred's accounts, criminal records, and the interview with Catwoman.

He shuddered just thinking about it; he and Babs had resolved to visit the feline femme after Babs had remembered the last time she'd seen Bruce sane: The Arcaham Asylum for the Criminally Insane Charity Fundraiser Ball. Halfway through the event, Bruce had left. With Selena Kyle. Thinking nothing of it, Barbara had gone right on dancing with the billionaire in turn.

And Bruce was dead the next day.

This led to the logical conclusion that Catwoman was their best shot at assembling the complicated puzzle. Wasting no time, the two vigilantes had, within minutes, successfully infiltrated Catwoman's lair-a small, decadent apparent in the city's West End. The place was nightmare; claw marks in the pink, frayed walls and heart-shaped cushions ripped to shreds. Over a dozen cats overran the floor of any one room at a time and pink, neon letters spelled HELL HERE through the bedroom window.

Robin felt strangely at home.

The mistress of the house was in-which is a manner of speech, really, because Catwoman was quite out of it. Half clad in her skin-tight leathers, she was only a vague shadow of the elegant woman that had attended both Batman's and Bruce's funeral. She prowled the rooms of the house, pressing close to walls and slithering over couches until finally settling on a wreck of a canopy bed.

"The demon, he came. A deal, oh yes, a deal with the demon-his heart for his brains, power for power, a life for a life, Ms. Kitty." She sang in a voice that was scratchy and overused. "Heeeeeeeere kitty kitty kitty… The devil's not a snake; the devil's not a cat! The devil wishes for a heart! Isn't that right, Ms. Kitty? The demon came from 'haven! The demon flew outta 'haven! Heeeeeere kitty kitty kitty…" Then shed half-laughed, half-cried herself to sleep. Bewildered, but still determined to get every last morsel of information she possessed, Robin and Batgirl waited for an hour until she woke up again, slightly more lucid.

"Look, Ms. Kitty!" Though not by much. "A little redbird, flying right in through the window!" The words were drawn out, like a drag from an overprized cigarette. "And a bat, too! We like bats, don't we, Ms. Kitty?"

"Look," Robin figured that humoring her whims would get them nowhere, and decided on a straight approach. "We need your help; we need to know what happened the night of the Arcaham Ball. Do you remember it?"

"Those awful white lights, why yes we do, Ms. Kitty and I!" Though her words were girlish and silly, her delivery was anything but-in that raspy, seductive voice, how could it be? "We danced and danced and twirled our way home!"

"That's right, you went home. Was Bruce there?"

"How could you guess! The little redbird has a sharp mind, Ms. Kitty. We wonder if that's all bat?"

"And then what happened?" Batgirl urged, but Robin cut her off, sensing once she got started on that, that would be the last they'd learn.

"How did you get there?"

"Alfred, driving the limo and he drops us off two streets earlier because the night is clear and beautiful black! So we walk the streets in the shadow."

"Did you see anyone else-besides Bruce?"

"I saw no one, and my eyes are Ms. Kitty's own. But he was there, the white black demon! He was, Ms. Kitty, he was!"

"Then?"

"I told you before! Didn't I, Ms. Kitty?" She barked a laugh, insane and strident. "The devil! The demon! He came upon us in the shadow of the valley of Death, and I feared evil! I did, Ms. Kitty, I did! A heart for a brain, power for power, a life for a life!" She rolled around, throwing her legs in the air and circling them madly. "It could have been mine-the last one of nine! But the bat swooped in and black black black black black!" Another lunatic holler. "The devil out of 'haven! And he took the big black bat back! Only he! The devil was alone, the devil and the demon-pale death and black black black. I saw no one with the devil as he dragged into the night! Ah!" She droned on in a seamless scream. "Heeeeeeere, kitty kitty kitty…"

The conversation was over, it was clear; Catwoman crawled through the floor in her maniac mantra, rubbing against walls desperately. Robin turned to Batgirl, signaling her to the window. She climbed out first, and Robin was about to follow when he spotted the older woman, quiet now and sitting against the wall, staring intently at him. Guilt-maybe not guilt, but something quite akin to it grasped at him. He walked to the femme fatale, and handed her a mini disk from one of his belt compartments.

"Bruce left this for you." She blinked at him blankly. Sighing, he walked to the corner of the room, where a neglected computer sat. He quickly got the disk running, and left it so. She could watch it when sanity returned-even if only partially and momentarily. Robin turned back to her, struggling for the right words. "Bruce, he….he loved you very much." When the woman didn't respond, Robin made for the window. Just as he was climbing out of it, he heard her say,

"Bite down on it, Ms. Kitty, yes. That's what one must do when life hands you a tasty morsel-bite down and refuse to let go, because it'll try to take it away again. But if your teeth sink deep enough, maybe you'll keep it. And once it stops tugging, you can keep it. Forever, Ms. Kitty."

_Bite down on it._ Robin rubbed his eyes and gave another deep sigh. With little difficulty, he pushed the emotional elements of the experience aside and concentrated on the facts. Alfred had told him he'd dropped Bruce and Selena off on Thoreau Boulevard, not a twenty minutes' walk from the gate of the Wayne state. From there, they would've taken the run-down Thirteenth Street, if Catwoman's recollection of darkness was anything to go by, which would eventually lead to the uphill trot to the manor.

One assaulter, then-the devil. Or the demon. One and the same. The point was, there'd been no henchmen, a fact that ruled out the great majority of Batman's scrawny, more mind-oriented enemies; none of them would've been able to take the Dark Knight on their own. Indeed, Robin couldn't but doubt that there'd be any man, anywhere, capable of taking on the Caped Crusader single-handedly and walk away victorious. He must have surrendered-but why? What could force him to surrender to such extent?

Leverage, obviously. But what precisely? And if it was a matter of leverage, then all villains were back on the suspect list.

He shifted through files; jail, jail, death, jail, mental asylum, missing, jail, mental asylum, dead, mental asylum, asylum, missing, asylum, dead, asylum, missing, reformed. Someone new, then?

Dropping the criminal profiles, he concentrated on the MO. Positively twisted, but there was one case that resembled it, if only on minor scale-several, actually. Twenty-one bodies, washed up on Gotham Harbor over the course of the past two and a half months. All male, brawny and unidentifiable, with broken necks. Forensic reports had shown the heart missing from 11 of them-the rest hadn't had an autopsy, but Robin was willing to bet he knew what they would have found. Or wouldn't have found, in this case.

"What are you doing?" A hand settled on his shoulder. Remarkably, Robin was startled. His hand immediately went for the only available weapon: one of the heavy tomes that cluttered his desk, _Spiritual Politics: Changing the World From the Inside Out_. "Jumpy, aren't we?" Robin turned around, and there was Raven-sleek and familiar, naked under the red silken sheet from his bed she'd wrapped her body in. Catwoman's words came unbidden to his mind, _Bite down on it, Ms. Kitty, yes. That's what one must do when life hands you a tasty morsel._

"A little." He admitted, looking sheepish. Heartbreaking cute, Raven reflected, even as her eyes looked him over. Like her, he had opted for the comfort of near-nakedness and wore only loose pajama pants, which Raven recognized at the ones she had donned earlier-a choice that left his very well built back exposed. His black hair was messy, his eyes glazed as if from sleep, and Raven noticed dried blood clinging to his swollen lips.

"You've got…" she gestured at her own mouth.

"Blood?" He finished, trying ineffectively to wipe it off with his hand while wondering if the blood was hers, or his own.

"Yeah," she looked thoughtful for a second. Then, "Here," Bending her dead down, she used her warm tongue to wipe his lips clean.

"Thanks," he answered huskily, and she smiled with pointy incisors before he turned back to the screen.

"What are you working on?" she asked from somewhere near his shoulder.

"Bruce's case." He answered simply.

"Oh." After a pause, she continued, "How's it going?" She would've liked to ask more specific questions-she had yet to see the infamous murder files-but deemed it inappropriate. Besides, how was she to word such a question? _Hey, how did your father's corpse look?_ A little less than subtle.

"Awful." He answered, sensing she wanted more. "Take a look at the files." He tossed them to her, but continued to type away until he heard the expected, sharp intake of breath. Nevertheless, she was as composed as ever when she asked him,

"What have you got so far?"

"A couple of leads-nothing too significant. I figured he was taken on Thirteenth, probably through blackmail. The MO doesn't match any of Bruce's previous acquaintances, so it's probably a new face-in Gotham, at least. I do have one lead on it, though, a-" He was interrupted by a dull beep. By instinct, Robin's head turned to the window before he forced his face down, his expression pained. Curious, Raven turned to the window-and saw the Bat Signal, clear against the ink-black sky.

_

* * *

Red Notes:_

_Doom-doom-doom. Ha. Not quite, but still…seemed like a nice place to cut it off at. As usual, I am doomed to hacking information out of chapters-the good news, however, is that all the stuff that was left out of this chappie is already written, so that cuts the waiting time for the next one by around 40. Also common, the plot creeps by inch by inch. Igh. That'll change next chapter, I swear. _

_These Notes will be uncommonly short, because I'm most anxious to post. _

_First indenting, now dashes; I'm going to rip my hair out. _

_Cyborg: Yes, I'm stalling, and yes, it's a bit repetitive. Sorry. But I have to pace that storyline, because it has to climax at the same time as the other 5. No way around it. _

_The Bat Cave mess: Might seem a little force, the Bat-siblings' attitude, but I swear it's canon. At least, it seems to me. Anyway, as you probably could tell by yourselves, the initial argument was only a meant as a catalyst to the Star/Robin debacle. _

_Star/Rob: I thought that their argument was pretty in-character. I know that Star was pulling stuff outta nowhere, but it doesn't matter-it cuts Robin all the same. And though it might seemed like a good guy/bad guy thing at first-though I sincerely hope it wasn't-I do think there's material in there that I can develop towards climax. Anyway, it's all pointing towards the big, dramatic scene that's been written since chapter 1. _

_Beast Boy: Conspicuously absent. Sorry; no room for him in this chapter, no matter how much I love him. _

_Catwoman; Off her rocker, like she always has been. Though I did mess up her personality a bit-here's hoping no one minds._

_Raven-I think what I said in last chapter still applies; Robin looking at her as desirable and earthly thrills her because it sets her away from the demonic, asexual, mystic image she has of herself sometimes-or rather, she figures other have of her. _

_Robin and the murder plot-a little tribute to comic book canon, as I'm sure some of you figure. Please, don't think I'm taking that storyline and shoving it into the plot. I'm only taking some teeny-tiny details for flavor. _

_Next chapter-up in two weeks, I fervently hope. Containing: a five-way argument, roof hopping, and (at last) some villain—ass kicking action on Gotham streets! Yes, the plot will FINALLY move along. _

_-Fée: (aka RedRooFlare)_


	5. Sound Waves

_So...It's been awhile. _

_I apologize for the obscene delay for this chapter; Real Life got a bit heavy in the last months. Couple that with the fact that I'm having the hardest time finding someplace to write, now that I accidentally broke my laptop's screen. _

_Anyhow, from now on I'll be more organized and have the chapters ready in a respectable amount of time._

_As always, check out the (brief) Red notes at the end. Enjoy, adn please review; reader input is invaluable to me._

_Disclaimer: Don't own Robin. Don't own Batman...I have no reason to live but the hope that one day I may come to acquire them. But for now, the Teen Titans, Batman, and the JL will remain with their respective owners. _

* * *

"They're not calling for you." Raven told him matter-of-factly, her voice dulled through the thick glass.

"I know," Robin answered, adjusting the rubber suit's buckles. "That's why it's not me who'll answer."

"Robin… Dick; it's always you. The mask can't change that." That comment, he chose to ignore, focusing instead on getting the boots on.

"Someone has to go, Raven."

"I know that. Why can't Robin go?"

"Because Robin can't answer the Bat Signal. If he did… I f I did, then…"

"What about everything you said before, about not wanting to be Batman? Was that all talk?"

"You know it wasn't; this is different. I'm only pretending, just for tonight. I'm not…becoming him." A sigh, then a barely audible, "At least not yet."

"Robin…" She hated the plea in her voice, but she was desperate. Something inside her now knew that Robin shouldn't wear Batman's mask----if not ever, then not tonight at least. Through the fog, her mind's eye saw him----a gargoyle, crouching, deadly and alone.

Or was that her?

Robin reappeared, wrapped to the neck in the unmistakable skin of the bat; only his face remained his own. That changed when he peeled off his eye mask, exposing his marbled green orbs for a second, before pulling the cowl over his head. The transformation was complete----Robin was gone, and only Batman remained.

"Robin, look-----"

"You can't call me that." At her indignant stare, he amended. "Not now, Raven; not while I wear this suit."

"Fine. You want to go like that, go ahead. Let's just go."

"You're not coming."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Raven doesn't work with Batman---it would look suspicious."

"You're not going alone."

"Don't tell me what to do; I can take care of myself."

"I know that!"

"Then?"

"I just..." dropping her gaze, she continued softly, almost ashamedly, "…don't _want_ you to go by yourself."

"Oh." She looked small and vulnerable; it was the first time he'd seen her so. He realized she'd just broken through; she'd taken a chance for the first time. That single sentence held more insight, more closeness, more…_intimacy_ than any heated kiss or ardent caress. It revealed feeling, a tiny morsel of it, but feeling still----for him. Even when she'd first kissed him-----had that really been only a day ago?----it'd been more about him than her, he sensed. He still had no idea what had been going on in Raven's mind---or heart---for the past day, he recognized. Actually, he only vaguely understood what he himself was feeling----something intense, transcendent, overpowering. How he wished he had time to explore it.

But some things can't wait. He only hoped Raven could.

Robin suddenly became aware that he was still staring at her; that, and his arms were aching to wrap themselves around Raven's form. Yet, he hesitated, knowing he had no idea how to go about it. That intimacy thing again----_some things are much more meaningful than I give them credit for_, he thought. The moment had passed.

"You don't need to worry." He told her confidently. "I won't let anything bad happen----not while I still owe you dinner." _Not while there's so much pending between us,_ his easy smile said. Raven didn't smile back, but Robin felt sure she understood.

"It's not about something bad happening." _It's about being near you while you experience a possibly traumatic, potentially life-altering episode._

"I know. But I'll still go alone." He slid into the driver seat of the Batmobile, relishing the cool leather and sleek fit. His hands gripped the steering wheel, familiarizing themselves with its alien texture. _Bruce drove this car,_ he told himself, _just like this._ He wondered if he looked anything like his mentor.

He did.

One last look at Raven, and then he was a black blur down the tunnel.

* * *

At 4 am, Cyborg was up. He was loath to leave Bee, glistening and beautiful, but he wanted to be back in Gotham by daybreak----the better to orchestrate a quick return, he gathered. Besides, natural sleep being of no significant use to him, he often grew restless, lying still through the long, nocturnal hours. _Just another abnormality I can never be rid off, _he reminded himself, and instantly regretted. He _would_ be rid off it; it might take him years of research, but he would be human again---one way or another.

Shrugging, he got behind the wheel. These days, angst was available at a moment's notice. He missed more carefree days, when he could just shrug off the events of the day and sit down for a night of video games. As it was, villains wouldn't be the death of him----stress would. Bee had told him that once; on the fourth time they met.

He remembered seeing her for the first time----she'd appeared beautiful, if a little scrawny, even then. But he'd been smitten with Jinx's sugar curls and swift smile and had failed to see anything remarkable. The second time, he'd been mad----who did this girl think she was, getting in his way, trying to kick _his_ villain's ass? But she'd left him with a wink and a coquettish throw, and it kept him restless for more than a couple of nights. The third time…well, it was the beginning. Never again could he manage to look away. She was supple, courageous, intelligent…she could kick anyone's ass, and she was a complete tease. Perfect.

* * *

Starfire slept an uneasy rest. Visions plagued her normally blank subconscious, dreams and nightmares that she could've done without. There was her, in full Tamaran armor, fresh blood on her hands. _Whose?_ And then Raven, with her four plague eyes, singing doom and death to her ears in the raspy voice of a rusty wheel. Cyborg was missing----there was a blank space were he should've been standing, a deep, deep silence when he should've been talking. Beast Boy shivered, wrapped tightly unto himself, half beast, half something else, muttering and snarling every once in a while. And there was Robin, dead, torn. And it was his sweet, red blood on her hands, she instantly knew, the coppery nectar of his being that stained her skin.

Starfire awoke, and like a ghost she stood and left the room. The kitchen was easy enough to find, she remembered, and she could use a cup of hot mustard.

* * *

Beast Boy would have never woken up before nine. Just one more thing that had changed. Before, his sleep was black and heavy, completely devoid of any images. Now, he smelled tender meat and blood in the air, and the moist dirt under his naked feet. He felt the forest, the desert, the sky…and it drove him crazy, made him restless. He tossed and turned and rolled and fell from the bed more than once. Finally, he gave up, and stood up.

He paused at the door, wondering if walking the manor's hall at night could somehow be interpreted as a breach of trust. Shrugging a tremor of guilt off, he left his room.

* * *

The streets of nocturnal Gotham he would always remember as the ultimate playground. He could truly fly there, for blocks at a time, swinging and jumping and free falling, never worrying thanks to the strange Neo-Gothic architecture that never failed to provide him with perches aplenty.

This time, however, Robin could only half-glace at them as he drove through narrow streets. _Perhaps later, then,_ he thought as he stopped in front of large, seemingly abandoned warehouse. _Why is it always a warehouse? And how come they're always abandoned? You'd think they'd stop building them by now, if they're only going to end up empty…_ Shrugging, he climbed off the Batmobile and began escalating the wall. _This place better have a skylight. _

When he dropped through the skylight, it was the most powerful he'd ever felt, with the black cape of the Batman flying around him and the horrified looks of the surprised evildoers.

_"It's him!"_ they shouted, terrified. As Robin, he seldom got such exaggerated reactions. He barely had time to grin, and then it was kick, dodge, punch, flip, kick, as they assaulted him from all sides. A punch came straight to his face, and he enclosed the fist in his hand and flipped the attacker over his head, sending him straight into a wall. A fan kick aimed at his shins came from the ride, and as he jumped to avoid it, he was surprised by how difficult the suit made it. He punched the kicker in the face and in the gut, then back-flipped away from the unconscious body----and action that felt slow and mechanical, devoid of its usual fluidity. He staggered upon landing; the Batman suit was definitely not made for his style of fighting.

_So, if I'm to play Batman, the suit's not enough…I have to move like him._ With that in mind, he planted himself solidly on the ground. _Remember._ He threw a batarang at a charging pair; the rope line entrapped them, simultaneously banging their heads together and knocking them out. A bullet grazed his shoulder, and he reflexively dodged to the right, jumping against the wall and running horizontally over it for a couple of strides before the costume's boots began to slip. He pushed himself away from the wall, crashing into two men; one was knocked unconscious, but the other clung to his back and tried to club him in the head. Robin rolled, grabbing the man's arm and twisting it against his back until he heard the shoulder pop. Then, he hit the man in the back of the head with the heel of his hand----another one down, but how many to go?

Only two; one of them was already throwing himself against him, but Robin rolled to the left and unto his feet. A swift kick rendered the thug unconscious. Robin hardly had time to look up before a cloud of bullets rained down on him. He ran fast for cover behind an empty metal crate, peeking on the side. His attacker was the last man standing; he was directly across him, about twenty feet away. In his hands, he furiously held tommy gun.

Robin narrowed his eyes; something about the man was not quite right, though it was hard to tell in the half-light of the warehouse. The attacker was tall and slightly gawky, dressed like a 30s gangster in the striped suit and checker shoes that were all the rage amongst Gotham mobsters. What appeared to be two mirrors stuck out from the sides of his head-----_to each his own, I guess._ Still shooting, the man began walking towards the crate. Robin stayed still, and the pellets ceased. Again, he peeked from the side----the aggressor brought a hand to the back of his head, as if to scratch. When the hand reappeared, there was a cigarette on it. Puzzled, Robin squinted----and gasped; the man's head was facing the wrong way, in a 180° degrees turn. Apparently, the mirrors functioned as rear-view mirrors that allowed him an almost normal vision of where he was heading-----and what he was shooting at. Intrigued, Robin had to shake his head----this was no time for his curiosity to take charge.

Taking advantage of the pause, Robin jumped clear over the crate, landing right behind the man. Indeed, there was a face staring straight at him, with steel-gray eyes that shone almost amused. Wasting no time on horror, Robin dropped and aimed a fan kick at the man's shins. The thug fell on his back, rolling so that his face was facing away from him again. Instantly, he was shooting again and Robin had to shoulder-roll away, simultaneously taking another batarang from his belt. Upon stopping, he threw it at the man. When the cable wrapped itself around the tommy gun, Robin pulled with all his strength, effectively wrenching the firearm from the assaulter's grasp.

"So…" the man rasped, his voice throaty and dry, "the little bird's decided to follow in big Batdaddy's footsteps?" Robin froze; had he heard right? "How…sickeningly honorable. And here I thought we'd be rid of the Bat for sure…" here he chuckled, two sad barks that quickly turned into a cough.

Robin's blood was boiling in his veins, his vision not red, but completely gone. Every muscle in his body tensed, while something inside him cried out to pounce on that stupid son of a bitch. He fully knew what he was capable of, how his hands could easily tear the man's body to shreds, kick that sick sick smile right out of his unnatural face. A shudder went through him, the less primal part of him desperately bidding him to regain control, reminding him of principles that seemed unfounded now.

The man now turned on his heel, face away from him again, and drew out another firearm. "This ain't Jump City, kid, and you ain't the Bat. And even if you were…well, we already know how that ended."

And the Robin leaped.

The man didn't stand a chance, even with the gun in his hands and a hail of bullets in the air. Robin dodged them instinctively, hardly noticing them, eyes set on the criminal. In one move, he had knocked the gun of his hands and had pinned him against the wall, face away.

"Well, this won't do at all." He muttered, harshly rolling him so that they were face to face. "Who are you, scum, and what do you know?"

"They call me Torque, kid." The man rasped, not fazed at all. Was that a smile? "And I know enough."

"What exactly is 'enough'?" Torque barked a mocking laugh.

"You think I'd tell you, kid? Ain't nothing you can do to me that's worse than what you see."

"Oh, I think you'd be surprised," Robin narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping into a rasp. Torque's smile faded slightly.

"See me, little bird? He broke my neck, left me for dead...but I survived. And then I went against your old man, and now he's six feet under. I'm fuckin' indestuctructible, and I answer to no puny boy with a circus clown fettish." Robin slammed him against the wall.

"Listen here, Torque. My patience is not what it used to be. I've no idea who 'he' is, but frankly, I don't care." He slammed the criminal again, for good measure. "Now, I'm disinclined to believe that a scrawny rat like you could take on Batman, let alone win----after all, it didn't take much for me to pound your low-life ass, did it?"

"However, I do believe you know something. And because I'm a nice guy, I'll give you thirty seconds in which you _will_ decide to reveal this information to me. If you turn down my offer, I'll find myself obligated to use," he took a batarang from his belt, "other means of persuasion, the likes of which you might not find pleasant."

"Stupid child! Do you think I w-----" A third slam agianst the wall cut Torque short.

"One. Think carefully----or I might decide to make your legs match your head." The smirk was completely gone from Torque's face, and his eyes were dead serious. Sweat slid down his face, and a nervous grunt escaped his lips. "Two."

"Fine, I'll talk! You've got some nerve, kid." The criminal's eyes shifted nervously, glancing around the warehouse as if to check for eavesdroppers. "Look, I had nothin' to do with it----that beast wouldn't hire me, of all people. He's the brute who did this to me; we're not on talking terms."

"Spare me the sentimentalism."

"I deal with info, kid, that's what I do. Back in old Bludhaven; I sell gossip to the highest bidder, that's how I know."

"My patience is running out."

"Fine; I'll give you the short version then."

* * *

Cyborg had decided to let himself in through the kitchen door. It was probably locked, but picking locks was hardly rocket science. Better than waking anyone up, he reasoned.

When he did, he was greeted with three of his fellow Titans, sitting silently around the table, each staring at his or her own drink. "Yo, Titans, whazzup?" Three death stares narrowed him in.

"Hey, Cy." Beast Boy finally greeted him a in an exhausted voice. Cyborg took the seat between Raven and Starfire.

"Hey. What are y'all doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep." Beast Boy answered. "I came downstairs and found Raven sitting here, O.D.ing on tea."

"My sleep too was fitful. I transversed to the kitchen in search of a cup of mustard to calm my subconscious, and found Friend Beast Boy and Raven."

"And why didn't y'all just go back to bed after your drinks?" At that, Beast Boy and Star turned to Raven.

"We're waiting for Birdboy to return."

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know." Raven answered truthfully. "He was answering the Bat Signal."

"Oh. And how come nobody's with him?"

"He didn't care for company." Raven answered.

"So you just let him go alone? You know he ain't right these days; someone should've gone with him----follow him, at least!"

"Perhaps someone would have, had _Friend_ Raven woken Beast Boy or I up." Starfire interjected, and Cyborg sensed he'd just stumbled into an old argument.

"Maybe I would have, except I, unlike some, respect other people's wishes." Raven shot back.

"This has no merit if it endangers the life of a friend!"

"Robin's fine, he can take care of himself!"

"I know he can-----but you know how imprudent and reckless he can become through one of his obsessive pursues."

"Hey, hold on a minute," Cyborg cut in. "What's he obsessing over this time?" His question went unnoticed.

"His 'imprudence' and 'recklessness' have probably saved countless lives!"

"But they have nevertheless endangered his own too many times!"

"The risk is his to take. You can't control him."

"I am not trying to control him-----it is only that I, for one, care about his well-being!"

"Oh, and I don't?" Raven's temper was beginning to flare, and they all heard the threat in her voice.

"Raven, Starfire, calm down." Beast Boy interrupted, but was ignored.

"To be honest, I-----"

"Star, please, that's enough!"

"You think you are the only that-----"

"Raven, please!"

"Shut up and let me finish!" Her eyes flashed red for a second.

"Yes, it is obvious that she has plenty to say."

"You-----"

"What's the matter with you two?" Cyborg asked; he'd never seen them fight like this before. Beast Boy broke the subsequent silence.

"Well, Star and R--------"

"One word, Beast Boy." Raven narrowed her eyes.

"Do not threaten him!"

"Yeah, Rae, that's not cool. Let the man talk; I want to know what's gotten into you two."

"Oh, I can tell you what----"

"Star." Cyborg cut her off. "I want to hear Beast Boy out."

"Um, well," he turned to Raven, apologetic. _But really, what's the point? It's not a secret if four out of five know. Of course, knowing is not the same as saying it out lout…_ He turned to the other girl. _Poor Star…I swear, I don't know what Robin was thinking…if I had a girl like Star, I would never even look away... I can't believe this is all over Robin; he's not even that good-looking…. I thought we were stronger than this. But now we're like a cheesy soap opera----all that's missing is someone to come up with a lethal disease… Oh, wait, that's me. _Perhaps fortunately, Beast Boy was saved form having to answer by the exaggerated roar of an engine as it swept by the foot of the hill. Instinctively, everyone turned to Raven.

"Yes; it's him."

Starfire thought she might be sick. When they'd followed Raven out of the kitchen and into the infamous silver closet, down the stairs and into the Bat Cave, it felt like revisiting a bad dream, one which only got worse as the Batmobile rolled in and Batman stepped out.

"No way..." Beast Boy breathed, eyes wide. Starfire felt herself shaking, and was barely able to contain herself as the Batman climbed up the stairs and stopped in front of them. Without a word, she walked up to him and with her hand ripped off his cowl. Eyes like a storm gaped at her. Star looked right into them-----and slapped Robin.

The slap resonated through the cave, bouncing off the walls.

_

* * *

Red Notes:_

_Short and sweet, cause I'm anxious to post this._

_First off, I'd like to apologize for the delay----I tried my best to work it quick, but I just didn't have any time, at all. But, I've come up with what I hope is a much more effective working system, which will allow me to update sooner. It will, however, also cut the chapters shorter. How shorter? 3000-4000 words, as opposed to the usual 5000-6000. Hopefully, this wont be a problem._

_Torque; some of you might recognize him from Nightwing. I must warn you, however, he's not the character he is in the comics. I just took the name, and a tiny morsel of the story----besides that, I've twisted him to fit the story._

_Some of you may complain that the plot is moving too slowly----never fear; I'm done building up pent-up angst. Next chapter will just unroll, and fast. You'll love it; I already do._

_I know this Notes aren't quite as explicit as prior ones, so if you have any questions, leave them as a review, or email me at__ and I'll either email you back or answer next chapter._

_Even if you have no questions, I'd love it if you'd leave a review. Reviews make my day, and, believe it or not, they really speed up my writting. Thank you to all the people who have already reviewed---I'll love you forever._

_Red Room Flare_


	6. Sunlight, Yes?

_Hey there, people on the other side of the screen. Yes, I'm alive!_

_For a complete apology concerning the embarrassing delay for this chapter, please refer to the Red Notes at the very end of the page. And while you're at it, please feel free to read the rest of the Notes----they're not as scary as they seem._

_Thank you all so much for reviewing and being so very wonderful! You have no idea how big a motivator each review is-----I'm truly, truly grateful!_

_I own nothing, and y'all StarRobin shippers should be thankful I don't. Ha. Please don't sue me._

_Finally, rating for this chapter is…same as the rest of the fic. Ha. That's me trying to cover up for the fact that I don't get the new ratings…Since it's been so long and this takes off right were Ch.5 ended, you might wanna re-read the last scene from Ch. 5----I believe it's like 7 sentences long or something. Or if you'd rather not, just remember: When we left out heroes, Robin was dressed up as Batman and had just been slapped by one very emotional Starfire. _

_Okay, nothing further…you can just scroll down now.(PS: My eternal battle for indenting continues. Apologies for the inconvinience)_

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?" Starfire's voice was hushed with barely-repressed anger. In front of her, Robin looked struck. Though she herself couldn't understand why the sight of Robin in Batman's uniform represented such a deep betrayal, she never once stopped to question the rage that bubbled inside her.

"Yeah, man, what's going on? Now you change your name and don't even tell us?" Cyborg's protests were loud behind her.

"Look, guys---" Robin began, but was interrupted by Best Boy as he excitedly stroked the exterior of the car.

"Dude, now that you're Batman, can I take the Batmobile out for a spin?" Robin blinked, taken aback by the question.

"I'm not------" He hastened to explain.

"Can't you take anything seriously, you little grass stain!" Slapping Beast Boy's head, Cyborg focused back on Robin----or was it Batman now? Stupid spiky-haired kid and his personality disorders…

"Hey, wow, no need to be rude. I don't get why you're all so tense….what's you're problem?" said Beast Boy. _This has to be deliberate; nobody can be this oblivious,_ Raven thought, and came to the realization that perhaps she was right. Starfire's voice interrupted her evaluation, but she made note to continue with that train of thought later.

"I will gladly inform you of our predicament: Robin has decided to abandon us!" Starfire answered. _How melodramatic,_ Raven observed, quickly tiring of the redhead's taste for the limelight.

"I'm not abandoning anybody! I'm----" _Deep, calming breaths. Deep calming breaths._

"You already did------or will Batman lead the Titans now?" _What's with Cy?_ Robin wondered. He understood Star's hostility----but why was Cyborg so wound up? The word 'abandon' seemed to have struck a nerve in him. _Perhaps…_

"Will you let him finish, you idiot!" _Whoa, Rae, easy, girl----since when is she so feisty? _Beast Boy blinked. _Feisty?__ What is she-----a horse?_

"Now, Raven, that's uncalled for!" Beast Boy thought Cyborg's protest sounded distinctly girly, but chucked it up to it being little past six in the morning.

"Nobody is addressing you, Raven. You have already participated enough in this affair-----I urge to keep to yourself!"

"Look, you----" Raven started. _Seriously, the nerve of that little…_

"Hey, what's you talking about? What'd Rae do?" Again, Cyborg felt the tell-tale chill of an old argument, and silently wondered what exactly he'd missed in his absence.

"Dude, I surge to stay clear of that…" _Beast Boy knows_, Cyborg realized.

"That's _urge_, idiot…" Raven promptly corrected, the undercurrent of mockery barely suppressed.

"That's uncalled for-----" _Dude, I'm doing it too… "----'sides, why are you complaining?_ I'm on your side!"

"Oh, so you are on _her_ side?" Beast Boy winced. Perhaps that hadn't been the smartest comment.

"No, I just meant that I was covering her----" he desperately glanced around for a sympathetic face, and that's when it hit him that there was nobody on _anyone's_ side. Well, maybe Raven on Robin's, but he didn't really know that, did he?

"Covering what, y'all? And since when do either of you have a side?" Quickly tired of being the only one out of the loop, Cyborg put on his best 'no-nonsense' face and waited expectantly.

"Nothing!" Robin sounded exhausted, and more than a little frustrated. "Can we get back on topic?"

"Why are you so anxious to get your ass pounded?" Cyborg asked. Robin frowned, and his glare was a tenfold more intense without that blasted white eye mask.

"There will be no ass pounding because I'm not Batman!"

"Not yet..."

"Do you really think I would take that big a decision without at least talking it over with you guys?" Robin answered in a voice that reeked of disappointment, and his eyes had a sad glaze to them. He noticed Cyborg shifted uneasily under his gaze. _Interesting…_

"Why not? You have done it before! Besides, I am quite certain you have already consulted it with Raven and therefore need not our counsel!" _Deep calming breaths.__ Deep calming breaths._

"Okay, time out! What's the deal with you girls?" Cyborg cried out, finally desperate.

"Dude, Ix-nay…." Beast Boy whispered out of the side of his mouth. Raven raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm getting sick of this! What is up with you two?" Cyborg's eyes landed on Robin. "Or should I say three?"

"There is nothing going on-----I'm just bored with Star trying to cram Robin to fit her rather narrow view of the world. And so is he."

"Be quiet, Raven. Just because you slept with Robin doesn't mean you know his mind! Or his heart!" Tears were rolling down Star's cheeks, but rather than softening her appearance they only seemed to strengthen what she undoubtedly considered 'righteous anger' but was in reality closer in semblance to 'murdering rage'.

"Whoa, hold on! You two slept together?" Cyborg blinked; whatever he'd been expecting, it… should have been exactly this. _Stupid, stupid, stupid; what else could it have been?_

"That's _none_ of your business." Raven's eyes flashed dangerously. Robin just pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"If it's affecting the team, then it is very much my business." Cyborg answered, not about to let Robin off the hook.

"Wasn't talking to you, Cy." Raven glared pointedly at Starfire, who sniffed but held her gaze. Raven turned back to Cyborg. "Although now that you bring it up…"

"Is it true?" Better make sure, Cyborg thought, trying to stare the two birds down.

"What, you doubt my word?" Star cried, outraged.

"Would you just let them answer the question!"

"Fine; yes, it's true." Robin laid back against the Batmobile, arms crossed.

"Wow----I'm---I'm shocked! Aghast. Really."

"Shut up, Beast Boy." Nobody argued that. Then,

"Rob, you're a dead bird----I'm gonna sonic cannon your ass from here to Metropolis!" Cyborg growled.

"Dude, what's that about? Wait-----are you in love with Raven?" Beast Boy yelled, clearly taken aback.

"No, I'm not in love with Raven, you little idiot!"

"I don't think I'm following…"

"Raven, how could you be so stupid, you know what he's like!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Robin stood back up.

"It means that I don't trust you near Rae----or any other girl for that matter. Clear enough?"

"Humor me, Cy----what exactly are you rambling on about?"

"You're fickle, Robin, and that's not precisely a good quality. So you want Raven today-----tomorrow you'll have set your eyes on someone else!"

"Dude, you sound like a girl." _And that's twice in one night._

"Where are you pulling this shit out of? I'm not fickle!"

"Oh, really? Then why's Star crying?" If looks could kill… well, Robin wouldn't need all those birdarangs. "Of course, that's excluding the fact that you're incapable of anyone coming before your precious 'Mission'."

"Dude, you making fun of the 'Mission'?" Beast Boy was now truly desperate to break the tension; he didn't like at all where this argument was heading.

"Cyborg, stop it. I appreciate the concern but I can take care of myself." Said Raven, her voice tight but calm.

"Apparently not." Sigh. Glare. "Seriously, man, I thought they were your friends…"

"They are, you idiot!"

"Then why are you jerking them around like that?"

"I'm not!"

"Could've fooled me…"

"Lay off, man. This has nothing to do with you---------I'm sorry that Star's hurt," Robin spared a look at the beauty, and felt a knot clog his throat. "But that's hardly a topic fit for a team discussion."

"I'm not talking about Star right now------and I'm sorry, but it is my business if _my friend _Raven thinks you love her when I know for a fact you're bound to change your mind, just like you've had about every other girl!"

"Like there've been so many…" Beast Boy scoffed. Cyborg ignored him, even though he spoke the truth, and continued.

"Look, Cyborg, enough's enough!" Raven snapped. "I don't give a damn about who Robin does, doesn't, has, had or will love." As an afterthought, she added, "Whoever mentioned _love_, anyway?" Shrugging it off, she barked, "This is as much my doing as his---------stay out of it!"

"Raven, you need to understand---"

"Cyborg, that's it. We're not discussing this anymore." Robin intervened. "I don't know what's up with you----you're making a fuss out of nothing. Half of what you're saying doesn't even make sense, for goodness' sake!"

"Oh, what, you're suddenly the Boss again?" Cyborg taunted, moving off topic.

"What do you mean, again?"

"Well, I thought you'd walked out on us?" Robin's eyes narrowed at how childish Cyborg was being. Immaturity, while not completely alien to the technological genius, was not something routinely in his behavior-----it almost seemed…as if he was trying to…

"For the last time-----I did not! I am not!" Robin was fast loosing his patience. Taking a deep breath, he tried to regain some semblance of calm----and then did something he'd never had done under other circumstances. "Besides, you're one to talk…" Cyborg went pale.

"What is he talking of, Cyborg?" Starfire questioned.

"How do you know?" Cyborg's voice was quiet, almost defeated. From the look the Boy Wonder had given him, Cyborg felt certain his secret was out. A strange relief filled him, partially numbing his body.

"I guessed." _Yeah, he would,_ Cyborg admitted with more fondness than he'd be willing to admit in his current anger.

"Dude, what's going on? What'd Rob guess?" Beast Boy thought he could sense Cyborg's answer, if only from the dread that was currently accumulating in the mouth of his stomach.

"Go on. Tell them." Robin said, not unkindly. The fight was over----just like that----, Cyborg realized, even if the resentments hadn't all been worked out. Well, Star's, at any rate------but he doubted anything save Robin, a lot of time, and a very long, awkward chat would solve that. Taking a deep breath, he suggested,

"Why don't we go back upstairs, and I can tell you slow?"

"No, Cy." Beast Boy's voice was like steel. "Do it now." Cyborg shrugged.

"Fine." He stared at the cave floor. "I'm getting married----me and Bumble Bee, that is." A surprised silence followed his announcement. Then,

"What's the catch?" Beast Boy's voice was as stony as he'd ever heard it.

"I…I'm leaving the Titans. We, Bee and me---both of us agreed…that's it's…it's the best thing to do." The words were hardly out of his mouth when----

"That's it-----I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! This is it, isn't it? The Titan's are breaking up."

"The Titan's are not breaking up, Beast Boy. Cyborg's free to make his choice, and-------" Robin's patient voice was interrupted.

"Now, but we are! Cyborg's leaving, you're leaving too----"

"I'm. Not. Leaving." Robin muttered through gritted teeth.

"Please, Rob, I'm not stupid! Someone's gonna have to take over Gotham, and we all know that's your home! Who else can? Jump City, the Tower----they're nothing against Gotham and Wayne Manor to you!"

"Beast Boy, that's----"

"And I'll bet Raven's staying here 'cause I've never seen her like I've seen her today and now I know why she's different-----so what's left? Star and me?"

"Shut up, Beast Boy, and let------"

"And even then, it's only Star, 'cause, of course, I'm breaking down and-----"

"What?"

"This freaky, stupid, genetic thing—---it's acting up and I can't control it! But it doesn't matter! I won't let you break the Titans up, I won't! We're the best thing ever, you can't take it away, I wont let you!" Beast Boy's yelling suddenly deformed into a low growl. His bones cracked and engorged, his face contorted and changed, hair covered his body. The growl became a holler, and a giant green gorilla suddenly charged at the remaining for Titans. For half a second, nobody reacted. Then,

"Titans, go!" Not needing to be told twice, Starfire pushed hard against the floor of the cave and took off into the air. Simultaneously, Raven levitated up and to the right, her shadow self already a dark aura around her. Cyborg rolled to the left, activating his sonic cannon on the way, stopping on bent knee and taking aim at the furious green ape. Robin flipped backwards, landing on the roof of the Batmobile, a batarang in hand.

Beast Boy didn't wait for them to assume attack positions. With a powerful yelp, the shape-shifter launched himself against the nearest target----Robin. A blast from Cyborg's cannon missed him by inches and singed the hair on his back. Growling, he morphed into a rhinoceros and continued his charge. The next blast bounced right off his tough hide exactly as he rammed horn-first into the side of the Batmobile, off which Robin had somersaulted mere seconds earlier. Not about to miss such proximity, Robin showered the green changeling with gas pellets. With smoke rising quickly around him, the shape-shifter became a mighty pterodactyl and flew straight for Starfire.

"Please, Friend, I beg you to cease! I do not wish to harm you!" Starfire did her best to dodge her friend's attacks, a task made only more complicated by the sheer number of white-blue blasts Cyborg kept shooting from the floor and Raven's flying artillery. The pterodactyl dived, and Star looked left----and spotted Raven. Quick as anything, she flew in the empath's direction and straight past her. Raven stood her ground, enveloping the green pterodactyl in an aura of shadow and stopping him dry. The prehistoric bird looked stunned for a second, then shape-shifted into a huge, big-bellied beast with stout, crooked horns, long spiked tail, and giant, leathery wings. Robin felt his mouth go dry.

A dragon.

The transformation took Raven by surprise, making her drop her guard enough that the changeling managed to shoot a yet of brilliant flames at her. Luckily, she managed to evade it almost completely----except for part of her right leg and side. Raven let out a hiss and a curse, inadvertently letting the formidable beast free. The dragon didn't waste a second, launching himself in quick pursuit of the demoness. His chase, however, was abruptly cut short by an unexpected weight on his back as Starfire dropped Robin over the behemoth. Immediately sensing trouble, the dragon bucked and twisted, trying to throw the Boy Wonder off his back and successfully preventing from finding out 'where the hell Bruce kept the sleeping darts'. Unexpectedly, one of Cyborg's blasts made found its mark in the beast's soft under-belly; giving a sharp cry, the mighty creature jerked painfully and dropped. Halfway down it became a falcon, successfully leaving Robin with nothing to stand on. The changeling landed somewhat gracefully on the ground, immediately morphing into an abnormally large T-Rex. The Boy Wonder dropped right beside him, managing a shoulder roll that broke most of his fall but nevertheless left him slightly stunned.

Whether the prehistoric lizard noticed this condition or simply labeled him as the closest target, it nevertheless made to take the Titan leader in his huge jaws. Seconds before the dinosaur reached his mark, Starfire swooped down and came to a stop mid-air between the creature and the Boy Wonder and attempted to hold it back with a hail of starbolts. Behind her, a cloud of black enveloped and transported Robin a safe distance away. The masked hero shook his head groggily, and regained his sense just in time to see Starfire charge against the dinosaur, furiously attacking him with a shower of starbolts that seemed to cause him nothing but a minor ache. The Tamaranian narrowly escaped the giant lizard's jaws by twisting in the air and dropping closer to the ground------a mistake, as the reptile's heavy tail swung out just that second and pummeled her into the cave wall.

Starfire slid to the ground------_quick, find those damned sleeping darts_-------Cyborg's blasts useless against the reptile's thick skin------_c'mon, c'mon…._--------claws tearing into golden, bruised skin------_where the hell are they?_------half the equipment on the cave flying straight at the changeling, only making him stumble-----_Finally!------Can't shoot, can't risk it; just run; put that in your mouth-------there, the hood of the Batmobile; jump; flip------damn slippery boots-------grappling hook----hold tight on the shoulder, on three----three!--- swing—--watch out for the teeth-----the throat's exposed---DO IT NOW!_

The powerful dinosaur seemed unaffected, promptly shaking the Boy Wonder off and attempting to continue the task of ripping Starfire to shreds. The darts, however, were quick to work, making the T-Rex stumble dizzily, trampling some equipment on the way, before finally collapsing on the cave floor. As soon as it did, the green giant shrunk and changed, the green scales bubbling into hide and then hair---the crack of bones reshaping echoed across the cave----the neck lengthened, along with the forearms and legs------shortened back------he skull shrunk, changed shape------the hair became skin----the teeth were shrunk to nothing and then reappeared-----a moan, and it was Best Boy passed out on the Batcave floor.

* * *

A scramble-----_Starfire; pick her up----Oh, God! Is that all her-----Quick, the Med-Lab-----no use, trampled-------T-Car, upstairs--------Oh, God, oh, God------need blood------her type?------alien--------take Beast Boy; you still have-----Pull harder; have to make it tighter------have to go, now-----is he going to be okay?------Alfred, please, we need------- Star, please------Raven, can't you------not yet, need to-------oh, God------the hell's the keys------Star-----stay, please----don't leave, Star-----_

"You coming?"

_The murder files----upstairs. The Cave-----wrecked. Batmobile------trampled. The disk------in the desk. The costume---------still in it. _

"Of course."

* * *

He expected the infirmary to be empty, and yet wasn't at all surprised to see Beast Boy curled up in the only decent chair. He had pushed it up against the wall, as far from Starfire as possible. _As if afraid of hurting her again._ The skin around his eyes was swollen from crying, his entire frame tense and yet somehow frail, hollow. Spent. Robin didn't think he had noticed his arrival until he spoke in hoarse whispers.

"I did this to her."

"Yes."

"It's all my fault. I---I should've told you sooner… about what was going on. That I was loosing control again." As an afterthought, he muttered, "Jeez, I sound like Rae." Robin ignored the comment.

"Why didn't you?" Though it was worded as such, it was hardly an accusation.

"I dunno." The changeling sighed, rubbing his eyes----it was his first movement since Robin had entered the infirmary. "I was scared, I guess."

"You thought we'd kick you out if we knew?"

"No, no, nothing like that." He sounded so sure, Robin couldn't help but envy the unshakable trust Beast Boy obviously had in the rest of the Titans. "It's like…Last time, Cy said it would kill me----split my DNA and all that. I guess I figured as long as I didn't tell you guys, it wasn't real; just a fluke, even if it kept happening over and over again. Stupid, right?" he added with a sad smile.

"A bit, yeah." Robin agreed, returning the gesture. Then he dropped the face and told him honestly, "What happened to Star-----it's not your fault. It was a mistake."

"Yeah-----" Beast Boy answered, his bitter voice heavy with self-loathing, "mine."

"You can't blame yourself-----what happened was beyond your control."

"Of course I can blame myself----who else? The disease isn't my fault, but I lost control even before I transformed------I was crazy, dude, completely mad. I kept seeing red all over the place and I just----I just couldn't think straight. I transformed without thinking, even though I knew what was going to happen." He sighed, and ran a hand through his thick hair, leaving it standing on an end. "I dunno why I did it…" Beast Boy shuddered, and then fixed Robin with one the most intense looks he'd ever seen. "I lost control, Rob, me---Beast Boy. Not the 'Beast Within' or whatever the hell Cy calls it. Then I slashed Star into bits. Me."

A heavy silence followed his words. Robin was at a loss over what to answer. One thing was clear-----Beast Boy was not to blame for Star. _But how can I make him see that? How can I make him understand that if anyone's blameless, it's he?_

"In that case, wouldn't it be Cyborg's and mine's fault? And Raven's, even Star's?" Beast Boy looked puzzled. "We made you angry in the first place, after all." He clarified.

"Dude, that was stupid and selfish of me. I don't own you. If Cyborg's getting married, I should be happy for him----not feeling betrayed and resentful…" he trailed off, and Robin sensed there was something he'd left unsaid.

"But?" he prompted.

"But I do! I know it's awful, but that's how I feel!" Again, he ran his hand through green locks. "You don't understand, dude. The Titans are all I have----Mum and Dad are dead, and they were all the family I had----until I hooked up with you guys. You're like the brothers and sisters and cousins I never got to hang around with----you don't know what it'd do to me if that ended.

"After they died," it was obvious he was talking about his parents, "I was all alone----oh, and a green freak, too. I had nobody, nothing to do with my life. The orphanages… Dude, you can't imagine how awful…" he broke off, "I don't even know how I got into heroics----I just sort of fell into it…That time, by the bridge, in Apex City-------do you remember? The bus driver, he had a heart attack or something…The bus went out of control, rammed into the railing, tipped over and fell to the river...You saw me transform, stop that bus, save those people… That was the first time I ever did something like that…I didn't even have a name then…" Beast Boy trailed off, and then his face changed, softened. He spoke of his parents again. "They were doctors, you know? They helped tons of people back in Africa." A small smile crept into his face. "Being a hero, helping people---it makes me feel close to them.

"But without the Titans, I wouldn't even have that. I can't do this on my own, Rob. I'm not like you. If the Titans end, I swear, that'd be….I wouldn't know what to do."

A pregnant silence followed. Robin stood uneasily, his mind whirling from everything Beast Boy had just said. He'd known all that stuff about his parents, and he'd guessed what the Titans meant to him…but hearing the changeling speak of it so passionately, it shook him. He wished he could comfort him, assure him the Titans were forever and he wouldn't ever have to worry about that… but he wasn't sure, was he, especially after today? And Robin couldn't possibly lie about something like that, couldn't bring himself to buy peace of mind with such a betrayal. Finally, he put a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. The green hero didn't turn to look at him, only held his breath, half-dreading Robin's words.

"I'm sure you'd figure it out." Beast Boy let out his breath. He didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed. "You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, BB." _He knows that._ "And a lot smarter, too." Another pause, and then. "You should get some sleep."

"But Star…"

"You can't help her right now. And you need rest----" looking straight into Beast Boy's eyes, Robin added, "we can figure out the rest in the morning."

Beast Boy looked at him for a few seconds then smiled weakly and stood up. At the door, he paused. With his back to the room, he said, "Thanks, Rob."

Suddenly finding himself alone with the sleeping Starfire, Robin sighed. He grabbed the chair and noiselessly dragged it to Star's bedside. With another heavy sigh, the Boy wonder took a seat. He yawned, stretching his arms high above his head; it was hard to forget he'd had no more than four hours of sleep in the last couple of days. His eyes-----once again safe behind their mask-----fell on the slumbering Tamaranian.

Starfire was in a lot better shape than he'd originally anticipated after seeing the puddle of blood that she had lain on. There'd been some heavy bruising, a couple broken ribs, and abundant blood loss----but he'd been expecting far worse after the way the dinosaur had knocked her around. Robin knew her good condition derived mostly from her alien physiology-----besides being a lot stronger than humans, Tamaranians had over centuries and through heavy warfare developed a much more effective and rapid healing process. This included blood production almost six times faster than that of average humans------a very fortunate quality, as it would've been impossible to provide Star with a transfusion, seeing as how there were no other Tamaranians on Earth. Or at least, none he knew of.

Robin frowned; this was a dangerous situation. It's a wonder it hadn't come up before. In the future, he would have to look into a more…_personalized_ version of the med lab.

The bruising was already fading. She'd needed stitches on most of the wounds, but they were all healing satisfactory now. Raven had already been in here, using her powers to mend her teammate's fractured bone. All in all, Robin expected Starfire to be up and about in a day.

_She's beautiful when she's asleep._ The thought took him by surprise------it'd been a long time since he'd stopped to think about Starfire as beautiful. He used to do so all the time, used to live half-blinded by her pretty, thin lips and spring—green eyes. She had always looked so… ethereal, iridescent. Like a stained-glass window which happened to have a laugh like an infant's.

Robin couldn't pinpoint the exact day he'd stopped looking at her and started seeing her-----the day his infatuation died. That had to happen, of course------but what about the day he'd stopped noticing her beauty? He couldn't help but think that day had been a bad one, a mistake, because it must've been that day that he'd forgotten how to enjoy it------not just her beauty, but everything else: laughing and playing and having fun just for the hell of it and not almost by accident.

Had Robin died that day?

_Stop it_, he told himself, _you're being paranoid and obsessive._ Besides, she was beautiful now------the curve of her cheek nestled in those long, delicate fingers and her hair like a halo around her head, soft breath escaping her strawberry lips and making her chest rise and fall gently------that had to be a good sign. Maybe….maybe he'd changed back. And…perhaps he had Raven to thank for that.

"I didn't expect your presence." Her voice startled him. He shrugged the surprise off while she carefully sat up and asked,

"You were faking sleep?"

"Yes." He frowned, more curious than confused.

"Why?"

"I did not know how to comfort friend Beast Boy." Her admission was soft and heart-warming, and Robin could tell it made her uncomfortable.

"I see." Pause. "If it makes you feel any better, neither do I." It was true.

"It doesn't." She looked away, to the small window in the corner, and held herself. Her voice became even softer, almost as if she had to say it but didn't quite want Robin to hear it. "Everybody should have someone to comfort them."

"….you're right, of course." What else could he say? He cleared his throat, glancing half-heartedly around the room for something else to add. This wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to. Finally, "Look, Star-----"

"I remember dancing." She cut him off, not only with her statement but with the powerful wave of longing he felt from her. Taken aback, he stuttered,

"What?" Her eyes finally left the window and met his. They were filled with a profound sadness, yet remained dry. It was the calmest he'd seen her in days.

"Dancing. With you. After your date with that horrendous Kitten person and after she and her arachnid beloved had made amends." _When Killer Moth held the city hostage and I had to take Kitten to the prom._ He remembered. "You and I were alone on the boat the party had taken place in, and the music was still playing. I was feeling foolish and embarrassed by my earlier jealousy------but you asked me to dance. Do you remember?"

"Yes." He admitted. His throat felt raspy and dry. Of course he remembered.

"I had never danced before then-----but you made it quite simple. All I had to do was allow you to hold me, and you guided me through steps I do not remember even now-----though it was mostly swaying and closeness, was it not?" Robin produced a strangled noise that could've been a yes. "And then…you kissed me. It was neither the first time nor the last, but it is the one I treasure most." A tear slipped the corner of her eye.

"Star…" he changed seats in favor of the edge of the bed and made to hold her, but she held him off.

"Please, allow me to finish." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I know you are in love with Friend Raven; I have even found a manner in which I can be joyful for the both of you. After all, is that not what one is supposed to be when one's best friend finds happiness?"

"Love? I don't know that I love her, Star…"

"But you will, Robin, do not doubt it. I saw you two together in the study," _Was that a blush?_ "And I heard the way you spoke to her. In all the years I have known you, it is the only time I have seen you voluntarily display a weakness or show vulnerability. You might argue it was because of the circumstances but I am sure it is because of her. Raven has always brought out a different side of you, a much more…human one. You never worked to pose for her, to prove yourself like you did with the rest of us...like you did with me. I have always known this; I observed it even before I considered her a threat to our relationship.

"I know you wonder what changed that drove us apart------I also question that. That was not Friend Raven's doing, was it?" _No, it wasn't-----wasn't I just thinking that?_ "I believe that change came from you------you grew up quicker, evolved more drastically. I could not keep up. Today, I mostly remain Starfire------but you have changed so greatly! You are Nightwing now, I think. Not the Nightwing I met in the future and had come to dread------a different one, who is still sweet, kind, and enough like Robin that I do not fear what his presence will bring…but Nightwing still."

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, unused to apologizing. What was he apologizing for, anyway? Changing? Their drifting apart? Raven? All three and more?

"Do not apologize for this-----you could not help it any more than I could. However, if you are apologizing for breaking my heart…then I will forgive you on two conditions." Was that the beginning of a smile on her lips?

"First, you must forgive my irrational behavior earlier. Better still, you must forget it completely and forevermore pretend it never occurred." Yes, of course that was a smile----a shy, small, somewhat melancholic smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Done."

"Secondly…you must promise not to let the Titans fade. No matter what happens or where any of us goes, even if Cyborg contracts matrimony or you got to Gotham-----you will not let any of us forget who we are. We do not have to be together to be the Titans." Robin swallowed. This one was harder. But Starfire's eyes were glossy with hope, and wasn't that a condition he should have come up on his own? _Forget the Titans…_ How could he, Starfire or no Starfire, allow that to happen?

"I promise." He'd figure out how to fulfill that promise when the time came…

"And…I have a third request. You are not obliged to grant it, but… I would like it if you did. You----Nightwing---are Raven's, now. But I remember dancing….and I think Robin was mine… That is all I want----Robin's last kiss. A goodbye. Could I have it?"

As he kissed her, chastely and sweetly, he remembered why she was beautiful, and couldn't help but feel a little beautiful himself. Starfire's lips were pure sunshine. Gotham City suddenly seemed so far away….had he really been almost ready to give up on the Titans? It seemed impossible to do so now…

Starfire broke the kiss, smiling.

"Thank you." She whispered, pulling away and laying back down on the bed. Robin watched her fall asleep before standing up and whispering,

"No, Star-----_thank you._" He left the Med Lab, feeling for the first time certain of what he had to do.

_

* * *

Red Notes:_

_I would first like to apologize for taking so long. I have no idea what came over me------okay, truthfully, I do. I was slacking off and reading JLA fics (they have nothing on TT fics, though!) I just had SO much trouble with the scene in which they're all arguing that I was frankly too depressed to try and pull it off. I must've written like four different versions of it….I'm still not quite happy with the way it turned out, but that was the best I had. Hopefully, it will do. Anyway, I'm sorry._

_Concerning the argument scene----I know everyone was kind of overreacting and just being weird…especially Cyborg. But that's the way people (or at least the ones I am lucky enough to live around) react when they're very mad. You just don't care what you're saying, so long as you're saying something and it's hurtful. In Cy's case, of course, he was also feeling guilty about the whole abandonment thing, so that mixed up things a little bit. _

_I hope it didn't seem like the fight was resolved too easily. Trust me, it's just taking a break. Well, not really…the actual fight is mostly over with, but they still need to work a couple of things out in more…explosive-free disposition. __Ch.__ 7 is like the other half of the resolution for the argument… It couldn't be all in here because then the chapter would've been too heavy and I hate that. (besides, I already feel like maybe there's a little too much info up there)_

_Beast Boy's background----I know that in the comic books he worked with the Doom Patrol and was adopted and all that…but I didn't see the point in putting all that in there. I fact, it kinda stopped the scene dead. Anyway, cartoon BB has no background so I guess it really doesn't matter…ha. Pointless Red Note? Like that's new. _

_The scene between Star and Robin-----I was just so sick of angst, I thought I'd make it cute. Well, not _cute_ cute, but…just not so dark. I can't ever manage to do a dark!Starfire. I just love her so much when she's sweet… _

_The whole not noticing Star's beauty thing? Ha, it's another one of those things that sounded a lot better inside my head but translated a bit awkwardly into writing…it's like this: not taking the time to notice Starfire's obvious beauty is a symptom of Robin not taking the time to enjoy anything, of being so fixated on his mission and not failing his friends and his city(ies), of saving lives etc etc etc that he's stopped living. …Is it a bit clearer now?_

_Now, to any worried RobinRaven shippers-----it's not Starfire that made him see this, or change it. It might not be clear now, but that's all Raven. IT just so happens he noticed it by looking at Star…egh, just hold on for next chappie; it'll be clearer. _

_Yeah, I know…little to none RobRae in this chapter. Sorry, tried to cram it in there to the best of my ability but it just. Wouldn't. Fit. I'll make it up to you (and myself) in the next chapter; the scene's already written (and I love it!)_

_I think there's two chapters left to this story…plus maybe and epilogue. I already have like a third of the work for Ch.7 (all the stuff I hacked out of this one…), so it shouldn't take to long. Honest! Just give me a week to adjust to BEING BACK IN SCHOOL and trust me---you'll see it soon._

_Oh, before I forget! I kinda think it's time I find a Beta, 'cause I'm working on this other story and you wouldn't believe how lousy my storytelling's being…Anyone interested, I would really appreciate it if you would contact me…uh, requirements? Good grammar and a __LOT__ of patience. _

_I shall now shamelessly advertise my upcoming one-shot: Frost! Raven-centric, RobinRaven-----check my profile for details. Anyway, look out for it and be sure to tell me what ya think. _

_As always, thank you so much for reading. And extra points if you stuck through my rambli---er, Notes. I would love it if you'd press that cute button on the lower left corner and leave me a review-----pretty pretty please? Critique, praise, flames, suggestions and questions are always welcome----they, uh, make the world a better place?_


	7. Surfing

_Hey there. Long time no, uh, see? I know it's been over four months---I'm terribly sorry, but there was nothing I could do about it. I won't bore you with the details, but I'd love to thank all the wonderful people who kept reviewing and sending messages and generally being lovely about the whole thing._

_The bright side? Gotham at Daybreak finally has an ending. Oh, it's not in this chapter----but I finally have it. Took me awhile, huh? You have to remember, this thing wasn't originally supposed to go on for more than three chapters... so, technically, it's going to end up with a lenght triple that of the orignal projection...make that 9 chapters and probably an epílogue. _

_Anyway, chapter 7 is as follows. Oh, and I don't own the Teen Titans, Batman, or any concept, name, place, etc even vaguely related to them. So please save youself some trouble and keep 'em lawsuits away from poor little Fée. _

* * *

"You're really going, then?" Robin's voice startled Cyborg right out of his musings. He looked up from the tool kit he'd been attempting to pack into place, and saw the Boy Wonder standing at his door as if waiting for permission to enter.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Taking his acknowledgement as consent, Robin entered the room and took a seat.

"Anything I can do to change your mind?"

"I don't think so, Rob." Abandoning his tools altogether, the half-robot sighed. "It's crazy, man, like you wouldn't believe. These last few weeks-----the secret was killing me. I'm even glad it's out------even if BB is furious at me. But he has a right to be, I guess…" he trailed off. "Hardest decision of my life, no question. But I love Bee--------God, how I love her-------and if retirement's what it takes to be with her, then I have no choice. I can't give her up. So I guess it wasn't that difficult a decision after all." A brief silence followed. Hesitantly, Robin broke it, carefully weighing his words.

"Look, Cy----and don't take this the wrong way-----don't you think it's a bit unfair, what she's asking you to give up?"

"I suppose it might look that way to you, man, but to me it's simple: I love her. And I love her like people used to love each other-----I want to marry her and buy her a little place in suburbs, to come home after work and share a nice, home-made dinner with her. Introduce her to Grandma and all that stuff. I want to have children with her, and a minivan whose trendiest gadget is the DVD in the backseat." At this, Robin gave him a disbelieving look. Cyborg smiled sheepishly. "Well, maybe something a little more sophisticated. Point is I don't think I was ever meant to do this…superhero thing for long. It's more frustrating than I can stand.

"Machines, you see, they break and you fix 'em and that's that. If you can't, then you just throw them out and start over. But this crime-fighting business…it really pushes my patience. You're never done. As soon as you lock up one bad guy, three others take his place. And by the time you put those three away, the original one is back in the streets. No, I think I'd rather save the world another way…maybe I could design more effective holding cells, keep 'em thugs locked up for a bit more…

"Anyhow, even if I felt differently, Bee is more than worth the price." Here he paused, as if giving time to Robin for the concept to sink in. Then he shrugged and returned to his tool kit. "'Sides, she's asking no more than I've asked of her. We're both quitting and that's that. Well, not quite that. I'd be more than happy to keep supplying you with awesome, kick-ass tech you guys can 'bring down baddies' with."

"But how are you gonna live? Do you honestly think all those criminals are just going to go 'oh, he retired, okay then, game over'? Do you really think there will be no one waiting in the sidewalk outside your kids' preschool? No shadow keeping tabs at Bee through the kitchen window from across the street?" Robin knew he sounded harsh, but he just had to make sure Cyborg knew exactly what he was getting himself into. "How are you gonna pull this off?"

"Anyway I can, man. Use holographic technology to cover up the more obvious particularities of my appearance. Move to the Midwest, the East coast, the South-----anyplace far from Jump City where no villain can track us down. Leave the country------I don't know. I'd hate to leave Jump----it's my home. I know no other. I was human here. I had a life, a _real_ life, with girlfriends and football and school and girls on the side. I lost that, here, too. All of it. And I won it back, maybe…no, _better_ than before… Jump's been good to me, all things considered. I've been happy here…" he sighed heavily. "But you gotta do what you gotta do, right?" Silence followed his question. Then,

"You love her that much?" The Boy Wonder's eyes were fixed on him, his gaze penetrating, as if studying his reaction.

"You have no idea." _Maybe I do._

"And you're positively sure I can't persuade you to stay?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Robin held his gaze for a minute more, then smiled.

"Don't leave Jump."

"What?"

"Give me two weeks, and I'll ask…I'll settle up everything you need: identities, history, papers-----the works. Coupled with your holographic technology, there'll be no need to leave Jump. And you and Bee can have as normal a life as you want."

"You mean that, man?" Robin stood up and walked closer to the cybernetic hero. Standing face to face, he offered his hand.

"Two weeks." Cyborg looked at him, then smiled that huge grin of his and took the offered hand.

"Two weeks." They shook on it, and too much passed between them-----words, thoughts, feelings, promises…an entire friendship, crumbled and rebuilt too many times already. Letting the huge hand go, Robin turned to leave. Halfway to the door, he turned around and continued walking backwards.

"And Cy?"

"Yeah?"

"The team won't be the same without you."

"I know, man."

"Just checking." Robin called over his shoulder as he left the room. "And talk to Beast Boy!"

"Will do, Rob!" Cy called back as the door swished close behind Robin. Still smiling, the Boy Wonder made his way to the kitchen, hungry for the first time in days. As he went by the living room, he was pleased to spot a slumbering Beast Boy passed out on the couch. _Does he ever use his bed?_ Shaking his head, the Titan leader stopped in front of the refrigerator. _Dare I risk it?_ Deciding he was in a good enough mood to brave possible death by way of blue fungus, he eased the door open and began to cautiously rummage the icebox's contents: nothing but mustard, empty milk cartons----_someone here drinks milk?_ -----and old takeout boxes. Oh, and a half-eaten apple that looked to be older than he was. And…wait a second! Could it be? Yes! Some ham seemed to have survived the fridge experience-----just enough for a sandwich. And----dare he hope? Was that…cheese? Yes! Cheese! Score!

Feeling ridiculously blessed, Robin took the ham and cheese out of the fridge, along with a tiny portion of mustard whose absence he was reasonably sure would go unnoticed by Star. There was bread in one of the cupboards, as well as a single, lonely tomato… but no root beer. There was, however, a brand new box of thyme-flavored tea bags. He put the kettle over the fire, and set about preparing the best sandwich he could, considering the meager ingredients available.

By the time the kettle whistled, Robin had completed an alphabetized grocery list with the heading 'PRIORITY' in bold red letters and stuck it to the fridge with a '_Wine Me, Dine Me, 69 Me'_ magnet that had somehow found its way into the Tower. Pouring the boiling water into his 'R'-cup, he placed one of the teabags in it. Two teaspoons of honey, and one of milk later, his tea was ready for consumption. He took a cautious, slow sip…and spit it right back out into the cup. _Agh…this tastes like gym socks… _He poured the entire contents of the cup on the sink. The kettle would have followed, but Robin thought better of it…He filled the black mug to the brim, stuck a tea bag on it, added a teaspoon of honey and a twist of lemon. He washed down the last of his sandwich with tap water, took the cup, and wandered back into the living quarters. He made his way up to the roof where, sure enough, he found Raven deep in meditation and levitating a hair's breadth from the Tower's edge.

Robin allowed himself to stare at her for a second of two, to memorize the way the last of the day's sun rays brought out indigo highlights in her dark hair and silhouetted her curvy frame, before plucking a particularly lovely flower from the small roof garden that was Beast Boy's pride and strolling toward Raven. Once beside her, he deposited the tea cup and flower on the ground. Taking one last, long look at her, he left the roof.

Days like this, when the Tower was silent and in peace, were rare. Robin enjoyed the quiet, his eyes trained on the view of the bay through the living room window. It occurred to him that, despite the silence, the Tower felt completely full. Energy cackled through the walls, vibrated in the atmosphere-----everything screaming, _Beast Boy! Starfire! Raven! Cyborg! _Hell, even _Silkie!_ And…_Robin!_ That was the biggest surprise of all.

He thought back on Cyborg's words about Jump City, about his home, and recalled Beast Boy's certainty that Gotham would always come before Jump in Robin's eyes. Even Starfire had expressed a desire to explore 'Friend Robin's home' upon her arrival to Wayne Manor… Which was it, though: Gotham or Jump? The Tower or the Manor? Was it…Was it possible for one to have two homes? And what about Hally's Circus, the Big Top, and the packed sawdust floor? Wasn't that his home, too, up there in the trapeze? All three cried out to him, tugged at his heartstrings with peculiar waves of homesickness.

His room was exactly the way he'd left it _one, two, three, four? _days ago. The bed was made, but the drawers were uncharacteristically open, as was the closet. He suspected the latter had been raided by Beast Boy and Starfire in his absence, as was their custom whenever he left the Tower for any significant amount of time. With a sigh, Robin proceeded to tidy his room into its usual somewhat-ordered state. That done, he stripped, and locked himself in the bathroom for a well-deserved hot shower.

With scalding water running down his back, his head heavy with vapor, Robin forced himself to think back on everything he had learned from Torque. Too much time had been lost already, and Bruce's killer was still on the loose. _Not for long, he isn't._ Dealing with team crisis was all very well and good----his job as leader, after all,----but his insides ached with frustrated vengeance, a feeling he hadn't experienced for many years and wasn't at all sure he was supposed to ever feel again. Vengeance was taboo----_you can never do it for vengeance, never give in to the hunger for revenge or the bloodlust._

Nevertheless, somewhere out there was a man in possession of Bruce Wayne's heart…and justice demanded that what was stolen be returned to its rightful owner. That purpose he _could_ serve, would have done so by the time the moon rose over Gotham tomorrow-----_and what a lonely, strange moon it will be, with no Dark Knight silhouetted against it…_

And after that…he would be free.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Robin felt guilty. Yet, he could not help it; he longed to be freed of the ugly burden of retribution, of the stark guilt that hung his heart, the self-imposed penance whose completion appeared impossible. _How can I make it right with you, Bruce? How can I let go?_

Abruptly, he turned off the hot water and opened the cold to full blast. The shock gave him goose bumps, left his toes and ears numb, but he endured it for a couple of minutes. When he stepped out of the shower, he felt refreshed and invigorated by the chilly water. He took the red 'R' towel from its rack and shook most of the water off his hair. Patting himself dry, he wrapped the towel around his waist and faced the mirror. His reflection startled him-----it did not match the picture of himself he held in his mind. _When did I get so old?_

Shrugging the eeriness off, Robin brushed his teeth and set about applying a healing balm on his most recent scars; some might never fully disappear, but at least they'd soften and join dozens others in their crisscrossing across his body. A pair of red boxers and a white undershirt replaced the towel, which he left on his shoulders as he exited the bathroom, still tousling his hair dry.

Raven was there, standing by the window, looking out into the rocky beach, the sunflower in her hands. Pleasantly surprised, Robin joined her by the window.

"Hey."

"A sunflower, Robin?" Her voice was uncharacteristically shaken.

"Excuse me?"

"There are violets in the garden. Roses. Orchids. Carnations, even." She turned to face him. "And you pick a sunflower."

"So?" What the hell was this about?

"_Sun_flower." She twirled the offending organism, willing him to examine it carefully. The way she said it…_Sun-flower. _It sounded almost like…_Oh._ Understanding dawned on him. "Not exactly…my cup of tea."

"Oh?"

"You sure you got the right girl, Robin?"

"I picked the sunflower," he told her, taking the flower from her hand and carefully putting in on the desk, then placing both hands on her shoulders. "Because it was the most beautiful flower in the garden… and it reminded me of you that way. Its being a _sunflower_------you don't need to read that much into it."

"Really?" her tone was a step down from sarcasm.

"Really." With a sigh, he gave his hair one last tousle and went to hang the towel. A minute or two passed in silence, then,

"Thank you." Robin did not answer, only stared at her. She was standing across from him, on the other side of the bed, looking decidedly abashed and not a little pleased with herself. And so beautiful… he didn't realize he'd opened his mouth until his own question reached his ears,

"You really don't give a damn about who I love?" Raven was a little shocked by the abruptness of the question, but recovered enough to answer honestly. As she did, he walked towards her until they were hardly three feet apart.

"Robin…look, whatever this is…I…" she was having the hardest time looking him in the eye-----damn beautiful green glass----"I hold no pretences. I don't know what this is. I…care for you a great deal. And I'm…." she hesitated to find the correct word to describe the bizarre lightness that had possessed her insides for the last couple of days, but despaired of it, settling instead for an insipid, "_pleased_ with the developments in our relationship. Anything other than that----I'm in the dark."

"So you're…happy?"

"…Yes."

"I'm glad." He shivered for no apparent reason, "…because I….I also care a lot for you." Hesitantly, almost shyly, he drew her to him. She didn't resist. "Raven, I… I think… Someday, I could definitely…" _Love you._

"Shh…" _Me, too._ "You can stop embarrassing yourself now." What he heard through her jab did little too soothe him, especially when he read her eyes and saw what definitely lay shimmering, bright and constant, amongst heliotrope swirls.

_Someday soon, Raven. Please, wait for it._ _I don't love you yet-----but give it time; I will._ "Fine." He said into her ear, and was pleased with the resulting shiver. "Although…." He added, purposely brushing his lips to the rim of her ear, "if you're only _pleased_ with the developments in our relationship, then I fear I must be doing something wrong." He pressed himself softly against her body for emphasis, letting her feel every contour and sinew of it. His hands dropped to her hips, fingertips lazily tracing circles against the thin material of her leotard. She purred in satisfaction, and pressed harder.

"Believe me," she whispered back, "you're doing a hell of a lot of things right." Her arms rose to his neck, her mouth hovering just under his. A light brush. Another one, rougher this time. She was teasing him, goading him into breaking and kissing her full. He gratefully relented, swallowing her lips in the kiss he had been craving for hours. His hands left their nonsense drawing and instead circled her waist, their pressure lifting Raven up the few crucial centimeters that were needed for them to be face to face. She moaned as he broke the kiss, his mouth finding its way wetly to the juncture where neck became shoulder. She threw her head back, the better to give him access and to enjoy the thrill of Robin so close, his arms crushing her, of his scent wrapping her and tugging at her heartstrings.

Raven understood what Robin had been trying to say. _I think...I already…I might already love you, Robin. I think I have for quite a while… But I can't say it, not just yet, so it's just as well you don't feel that way------though I believe you when you say you will. Still, I never lie: I was telling the truth when I said I didn't give a damn about who you loved. Your love is so much more than I would have hoped for… but I don't need it. I wouldn't ask for anything in return of the… feelings I bear for you. Those feeling are in themselves enough reward----I never thought I would experience them, ever. And yet, here I am. And all this…wholeness, this wonder inside me, the fire and the tenderness and the hope and the constant yearning and near suffocation-----you've brought them on. I've you to thank. And I _really _won't mind doing so for as long as you allow me to------I sense I'd be just as happy with loving you for the rest of my life, even if my feelings are never reciprocated._

_You're free to love whomever you want, Robin. But if it's me-----then all the better for both of us._

Robin's mouth found hers again, and Raven lost her already rather inconsistent train of thought. Her feet were back on the floor, and she used them to pull Robin backwards and closer to the bed. Suddenly its edge was pressing against the back of her legs; Raven gave in to the pressure and both of them collapsed on the mattress, Robin's weight over her body making the air rush out of her lungs.

* * *

Barbara's head was heavy and pounding. The buzz from her laptop was quickly becoming deafening. She hadn't been able to sleep for days now; as soon as her eyes close, the vicious picture of her mentor's desecrated body would take over her mind, growing more and more disfigured with each passing second. Thus, with sleep being an unreachable experience, she'd thrown herself headfirst into research. Now that the primary wave of grief and revulsion was _somewhat_ over-----suppressed, at least------Barbara could finally allow the cool deductive powers she'd honed over many Gotham nights and her own prodigious memory to produce answer concerning the Batman's demise.

She'd swiped the murder file from Dick's desk, read it once, twice, God knows how many times, and it still made no sense when compared to her and Alfred's recollection of the facts. And while she had faith in Dr. Jennings's assessment----she had had opportunities to verify his accuracy in the past----there was no question in her mind over what she's seen that night or on Alfred's words. And yet…how had Bruce survived the shredding of his internal organs? The removal of his heart? How had he walked to the Manor on entirely crushed legs? How had he endured to talk on these conditions?

She was about to give up entirely when something from the tox-screen caught her eye.

"What is that…? _Cl14_ and…" she checked the interpretation; they'd put it down as some kind of innovative drug that had yet to hit the streets-----not entirely unexpected in bored, billionaire playboys. "But then why does it ring a bell?" She looked closer at the formula. "Wait a minute…" Quickly, Barbara browsed through an older file------one headed 'Bane'. "I knew that looked familiar! Venom…" _So that's how he survived…they pumped him full of Venom and God knows what else…still doesn't explain how he made do without his heart, though…or how he managed to walk…_

Aiming to get lucky again, Barbara scanned down the file names in her computer. _Man-Bat…Scarecrow…Lady Vic…Killer Croc…Charaxes…_ "Well, what have we here… Perhaps….No… Or maybe…" The name 'Charaxes' had given her an idea; could it be that the armored Bat-suit acted as some sort of… exoskeleton, providing Bruce's body with enough support to compensate for the uselessness of his bones? Sighing, Barbara shook her head. "You're reaching," she told herself, "and it's from lack of sleep." Stretching, she looked at her bed. "Well, the Venom's a good finding… maybe there's something else in there, and I'm just too tired to see it. Time to crash."

After forcing her desk into some semblance of order and sending a quick e-mail explaining her theories to Dick, Barbara went to bed. As she lay in the dark, the picture of Bruce's corpse looming closer and closer, one last question kept running through her head, _Why go to all that trouble and then allow him to escape?_

* * *

The stars seemed especially bright that night, or at least they did in the little patch of might sky that was visible through the infirmary's window. Starfire sighed, wondering if one of them was Tamaran-----was her godfather looking at the sky, feet planted in one of those bright diamonds, wondering which of the glittering night-eyes was Earth? Maybe… and maybe Blackfire was in another one, though her sister probably knew exactly which of the tiny jewels was Star's. And what about her mother and father and brother? Was Heaven one of those distant firelights?

The door sliding open startled her. She turned around and there was Beast Boy, looking disheveled and sleepy.

"Hey," he said, and his voice was sticky with sleep, "I didn't think you'd be awake. I just wanted to check on you."

"I appreciate your concern, Friend Beast Boy. My condition is excellent-----I no longer feel any pain."

"That's-----that's good." He hadn't moved from the doorway. "Ah, well----uh, here." He walked over to her and placed a yellow mug on the small bedside table. "I brought this----in case you were, you know, awake, and, uh, thirsty."

"Oh-----many thanks to you, Friend! This is most thoughtful of you." Cautiously, she reached for the mug and gave its contest one big gulp. "Mustard! Oh, my heart rejoices!"

"Uh, I'm----good. Well, okay, I'll just…." He made as if to leave, but hesitated. "Ah, okay, Star, dude, see…." Sighing in defeat, he elaborated, his eyes fixed on the floor, "I'm sorry… you were hurt because of me. I didn't mean for any of it… I feel terrible." Gathering his courage, his eyes left the floor. "Do you think you could, uh, maybe… forgive me?"

"I already have----I understand that you could not control your actions, and I do not blame you for my injuries. As you can see, I am quite recuperated and it is only because of our friends' insistence that I remain here in the Lab of Med."

"Oh, ah, good---- I mean, awesome! You had me, all of us, actually, so worried… But it's good that your fine now, Star. Thank you so much… for forgiving me, I mean."

"And thank you for your apology, though it was unnecessary. And for the mustard." She was smiling now and so was he, green eyes as bright as the stars she'd been pondering on not six minutes before. It warmed Starfire's heart. For some reason, she'd never noticed the color of Beast Boy's eyes. She supposed that among all that green they had always gotten lost… but how, she couldn't explain. They really were an extraordinary shade of green-----lush and fresh, like a sea of grass after the rainy season.

"Cool, dude, I mean, Star." He ran a hand through his hair, and yawned. "Well, I'll leave you to sleep, then. Just wanted to make sure you were, you know, okay."

"Good night, Friend Beast Boy. May your dreams be filled with pleasantries."

"Yeah, you too, Star." His smile was soft as he squeezed her hand and then left the room. Starfire's gaze returned to the stars. _Maybe Friend Beast Boy could lend assistance to my search._

_

* * *

So beautiful… His head rested just beneath Raven's breasts, his moist breath warm against the skin over her ribcage. It was the first time she'd see him asleep, and he looked so…young, almost childlike. Well, not his body, obviously-----how could it, with all that muscle, those shoulders, such hands, so many, many scars… But his face-----like a boy's, even with that jaw and those cheekbones, there was a certain…innocence to his face, a wistful, almost playful, turn to the corners of his mouth…_

Suddenly he snored, and violently rolled off her. Raven could hardly contain a yelp of surprise at the abruptness of the motion. She calmed down when he appeared to be still again, lying on his stomach at the edge of the bed, on arm dangling from it and the sheet only just under his waist. Raven sighed and rolled on her side, deciding she'd better go to sleep too. After a few minutes, drowsiness had begun weighing her down but she couldn't let go and sleep----warmth called to her from across the bed. _Dammit, Robin; I used to _like _sleeping alone! _Finally she gave in, muttered a curse, and rolled besides Robin, resting her head on the back of his shoulder and draping an arm across his back. Strangely comfortable, Raven dozed off.

* * *

Robin's dreams were a blur of color and a steady ticking that might've been a clock, or maybe a heart. When he woke up there was the insipid sunlight of early morning pouring in though the window and hitting him square in the face. He hadn't woken up to that in years, having almost completely replaced it with the eerie tension of darkness just before daybreak. He didn't even own an alarm clock. Or did he?

And Raven. She was asleep beside him, his arm thrown possessively across her midriff. She looked soft, familiar, tender. _Dammit, Raven; I didn't use to _like _sleeping the night through!_ He watched her for a minute more before sighing and leaving the bed. She murmured something and rolled on her side, still asleep.

Seconds later, a soft melody confirmed the existence of a radio-alarm clock, tuned to _Classic 106.9_.

_I'm not afraid to die_

_I'm not afraid to live_

_And when I'm flat on my back _

_I hope to feel like I did_

Robin was about to turn it off, before it could bother the sleeping sorceress, when a dark tendril of energy sneaked past the bed and blew the thing up to pieces. He studied Raven carefully; she was still asleep. Robin shrugged it off, but the half-recognized tune stayed in his mind. _Creed, maybe? U2?_

He took a quick shower and dressed in jeans, his mask, boots, and a muscle T-shirt, grumbling good-naturedly the entire time because he'd envisioned himself out of Jump and already at work by that time. Raven was still asleep when he left the bathroom, and for a minute he debated whether or not to wake her and have her come along. Finally, he wrote a note and left the room.

Beast Boy and Starfire were already in the kitchen, uncharacteristically quiet as they discussed something between bites of pancakes. He bid them good morning.

"Good morning, Friend Robin!"

"'Morning, dude," greeted Beast Boy, his mouth full of tofu bacon.

"Should you be out of the Med Lab, Star?"

"I feel wonderful, Friend Robin!"

"Okay then. But take it easy, all right?"

"I will."

"Where're you going, dude?"

"…Gotham, first. Still have some business to take care of." A brief, tense silence overcame the kitchen. Then,

"Need any help?" Robin bit back his answer, pausing to think. Starfire and Beast Boy were studying him looking at him intently, expectant for his answer.

"I… might." The entire room seemed to sigh with relief. "Keep you comm.-link nearby." Stealing a bite from Star's plate, Robin walked out of the kitchen. "Oh, and Beast Boy, don't forget---they're expecting you over at STAR Labs before noon." For a moment, Beast Boy's face darkened. Then,

"Right. Later, dude!"

"Be cautious, Friend Robin!" _That I will._

* * *

It was mostly habit that had Barbara up that morning, after only four hours of sleep; habit, and three cups of coffee. The fourth cup was currently steaming on her desk, and after a second's thought, she moved it farther away from her computer before settling down to continue her research. She'd barely logged in when the creak of her door being swung open startled her. She spun around in her chair, only to find Robin standing at her door in civilian clothing, a duffel bag on his shoulder.

"Dick!" she yelped, diving to retrieve her robe from the floor beside her bed; she hadn't bothered to change out of her sleepwear, which consisted solely of her underwear and a camisole. "Ever heard of knocking, ya moron?"

"Chill out, Babs. It's nothing I haven't seen before…" he sounded distracted, so Barbara let it slide.

"Jackass…" she grumbled, tightening her robe, "what are you doing here so early?"

"Early?" he asked disbelievingly. "It's close to noon! What's the matter? Had a rough night?"

"You could say that…" she answered, stifling a yawn. Cracking her wrists, she continued, "You didn't answer my question, Boy Wonder."

"I'm taking you out, Babs." He had unzipped the bag, and part of his Robin costume peeked out from it. "Throw on something snazzy----we're having a night out on the town."

"Cute, Dick." She told him as she dug out her costume from the bottom drawer and went into the bathroom. "You get my mail?"

"Haven't checked it. Why?"

"I found…several interesting things. You can check it out later, just… Dick, they used Venom on him." No need to ask who _him_ was. Robin stopped halfway through tugging his shirt on.

"How do you know?" His throat had suddenly gone dry. She stepped out of the bathroom, walked to him.

"The chemicals showed up on the tox-screen." Her voice was soft, her green eyes downcast. "Zip me up?" He did.

"…It doesn't make any sense. He still ought to have been…" His shirt finally on, he plopped down on the bed.

"I know… but I don't know what else…" she sat down beside him, gloved hands toying with her cowl.

"We'll just have to ask, then." His resolute tone took her by surprise. It invigorated her, too.

"Who're we asking?" she followed him as he left the room and briskly made his way downstairs.

"Some first-hand witnesses." He was being deliberately vague, obnoxious even, and he knew it. Still, she didn't complain as he handed her an extra helmet and they both climbed on his R-Cycle.

"_Really?_" Her hands interlaced at his waist were so familiar, they brought him comfort. Working with Babs was good. "And where are we going to find them?"

"Oh, on this little spot of paradise called… Bludhaven." And then the bike roared to life, and they sped off in direction of Gotham's neighbor to the North.

_

* * *

Red Notes:_

_So...what say you? (...) Kind of a bridge-type chapter...but hopefully has enough meat to stand by itself. I'll make them notes quick:_

_Venom---that's the thing that originally made Bane the way he is...I think. Just in case anyone out there's like me and needs help with them Batman references... Some people have brought up the impossibility of Batman's injuries versus his actions, and they're quite on target. I just want to say, however, that I meant for them to make no sense. My reasoning is that if any of us could link them logically, then Robin should be able to solve the mystery in a breeze, seeing as we're getting exactly the same information that he has and he's supposed to be the World's Second Greatest Detective or something like that...and having Robin crack the case that easly just wont do..._

_The sunflower thing...Well, it might have been the ungodly hourin which I wrote that bit, but it seemed to me thatn the word 'sunflower' sounds a lot like 'starfire'...again, it was 3 am, so I hope you can forgive the ridiculous plot gimmick. That whole scene---the converstation between Robin and Raven---is the main focus of the chapter. As you might've noticed, it marks the first time in the story Robin and Raven have even remotely addressed the developments in their relationship. The talk's short, I know, and doesn't get much straightened out... but neither Robin nor Raven is ever portrayed through the show as being particularly open about their feelings... or talkative, at all. I figure it's easier for them to communicate through actions and physical nearness than through verbalizing their feelings. Physical nearness is a great source of comfort, which I think they both need desperately. ...of course, I might be way off but, hey, that's fanfiction for you..._

_I hope Cy hasn't been too OOC... I just can't really get a vibe from him... And BB's thing hasn't been conviniently forgotten---it's being dealt with 'off-camera' (ha!) and will be shown in ch.8..._

_On a side Note (ha!), the roof garden, though entirely nonexistent, is plausible, I think... After all, Beast Boy _does_ have a 'green thumb'...hahaha I kill me. _

_Somebody made a fairly good guess concerning the direction of the storyline... I just wanted to acknowledge that and say it's pretty cool to know someone's putting that much thought into this story—thank you! The theory, however, is incorrect. Yes, the events leading up to the Nightwing series were the inspiration for some situations and characters (Torque, for instance)... but that's mainly for color and trivia's sake. The story is going in an entirely different---and hopefully exciting---direction. You'll see._

_Lastly---chapter 8 will be up a week from Thursday at the earliest, a week from Saturday at the lattest---it's shaping up to be quite exciting, which is to say, the truth about Batman's death is FINALLY revealed... Also, there's gonna be a couple of one-shots showing up during the next couple of weeks... read them if you get the chance, and tell me what you think! The shorter one's titled (tentatively) 'Heroes', and it's set right after the 'Aftershock' episodes, but echoes through the rest of the series; it's a short, hopefully interesting, exploration of self-sacrifice and the expectations of life as a hero. The longer one is titled 'VICE' and it's my baby---some of you might remember me mentioning another one-shot called 'Sacrifice' and another titled 'Frost'...well, this is what they evolved into..._

_Anyway, the Notes are up... Thank you so much for reding---I hope this chapter lived up to any expectations you might have held...Please, review and let me know what you think! I love to hear from you..._

_---Red Room Flare_


	8. Face to 'Face'

_Hey!_

_I was about to apologize for the delay on this chapter, when I realized I've done that on EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER of this story… I think I might need professional help. I'm still apologizing, though. I'm terrible with updates, I realize ----I won't give excuses except to say that life's just a bit complicated right now. I would like, however, to thank the people who were patient with me and this story, and everyone who kept reading and reviewing. The good news is, this is the second to last chapter. I'm not gonna say anything regarding the next chapter's status, however, because every time I do I just jinx myself. _

_I will, however, say that the time I spent away from this place was _very _productive. _

_Also, if you're in the mood for mostly pointless musings, don't forget to check out the Red Notes at the end._

_Anyway, end of note. _

_Disclaimer: Don't own them. I should, though, at least a little, considering the obscene amount of money I've spent on TT merchandise. _

_

* * *

_

Rae—I'm following a lead on Bruce's case: 'Blockbuster', a crime lord based off Bludhaven. Batgirl's coming with me. I don't know when I'll be back—soon, I hope. If I haven't contacted you by tomorrow at noon, look for me. Use the tracer in my comm.-link. Otherwise, don't worry—I'll be fine.

There was something else at the bottom of the page, but it had been thoroughly crossed out and she couldn't decipher what it'd said before. Something inside her teased her eyesight—_I miss you_—but she shut it out. He hadn't signed it, and somehow that made her smile—so like him not to waste time in redundancies.

A frown replaced the smile; she wished he'd woken her up. His confronting his father's murderer was something she didn't want him to be alone for. _Not alone—Batgirl'll be there._ But Barbara was too distraught herself to be of any use in preventing what Raven was dreading—she might even encourage it.

_Trust him._ Robin wouldn't cross that line, no matter how enraged. Batman had made sure he never would, and the Boy Wonder wouldn't disobey that particular commandment, especially not now with the loss of his mentor so fresh. _Trust him._

_I do._

But she worried still.

She worried as she stepped into Robin's shower---although she was glad to find it substantially neater than the bathroom she shared with Star---, worried as she grumbled about the lack of conditioner, worried as she studiously examined the stylized bird emblem on the bathroom mirror, traced invisibly and now revealed by the steam. Obviously, it had been Robin's doing—probably his own design. Raven wondered what it meant, though she suspected she knew what had been going through the Boy Wonder's mind as he ran his finger over the glass. She could almost see him, monogrammed red towel around his waist, dark hair dripping, tiny rivulets of water sliding their way down from the expanse of his shoulders, bottle eyes intense as he took the shape of a robin and bent it just _so_, far enough from the original that the differences were plain yet close enough to it that the essence remained undisturbed.

Impulsively, Raven traced the design with her own fingers before taking a hand towel and wiping the symbol down.

* * *

Robin had been to Bludhaven before, once, to follow a lead on a gang that had just started operating in Gotham territory. That had been a long time ago, but he remembered the city---it was as gray as anything, crumbling buildings that looked to be over a century old, dirty streets that desperately needed re-paving, a sewage system that collapsed at the first signs of the rainy season. The city was overrun with criminals who stole from each other only to have the bounty disappear at the next street corner, killers who murdered hit men on their way to a job… The docks were a veritable cornucopia of drugs, guns, and other imports of a more elusive precedence. Gang tags overlay each other on every wall until it was impossible to determine what block belonged to whom. The streets were lined with women, especially at night but also throughout the day----jaded things with glossy eyes and shaky legs as well as perky beings popping bubble gum and strutting like peacocks on display.

And over the mayhem reigned Blockbuster, the man in whose chest---if Torque was to be believed---beat Batman's heart.

Details were sketchy---life spans were short enough in Bludhaven that anyone who might've known the whole truth had already met with a bullet or nine. There were, however, a few things the underground agreed upon. Blockbuster had come out of nowhere a few years back, his appearance coinciding with the death of one of the city's crime bosses, Roland Desmond, in a freak bout of an unexplained disease. He was an ape of a man----huge, with taut, sickly white skin and sleek yellow hair. A man's head could comfortably fit in his hand, and he had often proved it when he crushed the skulls of his enemies. His strength, size, and intelligence all signaled him as metahuman. He had quickly taken over the city and if there was any 'business' to be done in the 'haven then the first taste was always his. He surrounded himself with steel and hired guns, preferring to observe from the shadows and let the threats come through others. He was ruthless, unforgiving, and deadly, with a taste for breaking necks as a signature in his kills.

There was also something else, a whisper that had blown through the 'haven like radioactive waves. It said that Blockbuster was dying, that his weak, human heart could no longer support the behemoth that Ronald Desmond had become.

And then the dying began. Big men, burly men in the epitome of health with decades' worth of natural life before them, all with broken necks and hollow chests, sent down the river to rot.

And then the dying stopped, as abruptly as it began.

* * *

"You sure this is the place?" Robin asked, eyeing the building above them. They were dismounting the R-cycle amongst a thick forest of pines that had sprouted up, sea-side. The forest continued up-hill before giving way to a 50s style house, big, complete with brick chimney and sprawling metallic decks. Not exactly the Stately Manor he would have expected, even if it _was_ on a cliff overlooking the dirty water of Bludhaven Bay.

"Has to be." Batgirl answered, busily trying to pop the seat of the bike.

"The latch is on the other side." Robin told her distractedly, still studying the building.

"Thanks." She came to stand next to him, black cable slung over her shoulder. "Last known address for Roland Desmond---this is the place we're looking for. Incidentally, think you'll get around to explaining what we're doing here anytime soon?"

"This place is Blockbuster's home. You remember Blockie, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well, he's been having some heart trouble and decided the answer was a transplant. And, of course, a donation from Average Joe is not worthy of the great Blockbuster----he wants only the best. So he stole himself a heart." Robin turned to look at Batgirl, wanting to see her reaction. Her face was hard with grim determination as she added,

"The wrong one." Robin assented, turning back around to face the water.

"He'll find that out soon." Batgirl meditated his answer. Were they here to punish Blockbuster, then? To break him and bind him and hand him over to the GCPD as the one responsible for Bruce Wayne's death? But what if it hadn't been Wayne's heart, but Batman's that he'd meant to steal-----could they risk him talking and spilling secrets that he should've never known in the first place? Or were they here just for revenge----to cut him open and take back what he'd stolen from their mentor? Did Robin… did he intend to…?

"Robin," she asked again, "what are we doing here?"

"We're here to find out the truth… I don't trust Torque, but this is the best lead we've had so far and it makes sense. And if Blockie is indeed responsible… then I want to… I want to look him in the eye and make… make every last scrap of him regret it…" the coldness of his statement made her shudder, but she nodded her agreement. She wasn't sure how far Robin would go to 'make him regret it'… but then again, she didn't know how far she wanted to go herself… Not true. She did know what she wanted, she just didn't know if she could trust herself to not go through with it when the opportunity arose.

"Fine." She said, hitching the cable higher on her shoulder. At her word, Robin took a re-breather from his belt, put it in his mouth, and dove down into the murky waters. Batgirl took one last look at the house, muttered under her breath, and followed.

* * *

The hike up the cliff's jagged edge was a heavy one, but relatively safe in terms of surveillance; while the pine trees leading up to the house were filled with thugs and vigilance, the rocky cliff was deemed too perilous a road to pose a threat as infiltration means and was therefore little guarded. Luckily for Robin and Batgirl, the guards in charge of cliff duty were knocked out by two well-aimed batarangs and a single birdarang before they could spot the masked duo. Between that and the blinding red intensity of the late afternoon sun, they were able to make their way safely to the outer wall of Blockbuster's residence.

Though they briefly considered making their way through the inside of the house, they eventually agreed that the element of surprise was not something they would readily give up. That decided, they began climbing the wall.

"Which window is it, again?" Robin hissed from above her.

"Third up, fourth from the left." Batgirl answered after quickly referencing the secondhand diagrams she had committed to memory. The window in question led to Blockbuster's room.

"It's empty."

"I told you it would be. We should try the study."

"Fine. Which one is it?"

"Third up, second from the right."

"Okay." Exhibiting his trademark grace, Robin was there in a second, carefully peering between the curtains. "I can't see inside… I don't think there's anybody in there, though." Making a noise of exasperation, he added. "This is taking us nowhere. I think we should just go in and search the place."

"Let's do it then." She agreed, but Robin had already eased the window open and was halfway in. Muttering a curse, she followed.

The large study, in contrast to the exterior of the house, was everything Barbara could've expected it to be—bookshelves, knickknacks, leather sofas, big wooden desk, and a big, high-backed chair behind it. Not that different from Bruce's own. And it appeared empty.

Appearances can be deceiving.

Robin sensed it a second before she did, pulling her down hard to avoid the sudden hail of bullets racing through the space that had been occupied by her chest. When the shooting stopped abruptly, she looked up to find that the chair had swiveled around and she was face to face with abomination.

Maybe face-to-face wasn't the right expression. The being in the chair, smoking tommy-gun in hand, wasn't Blockbuster. Beside her, she heard Robin hiss.

"_Torque_."

* * *

"Clever boy." His voice was the one he remembered… husky and dry, as if ashes were clogging his throat. His appearance, however, was entirely different. His head was still on backwards, of course, but the rather silly rear-view mirror contraption he'd wore in the warehouse had been replaced by a much sleeker, more effective-looking device, made up of some sort of circular focal point in the back of his head, out of which sprouted two tubes—one on each side—that connected with the goggles affixed over his eyes. He'd traded the stripped suit for navy slacks and a standard-issue manila street coat, the sort of which inspectors wore in movies as they trailed conspiracy through the fog. These two changes were dramatic to former-Inspector Dudley Soames' overall appearance, and Robin suddenly felt foolish; this man was clearly not just the cowardly low-life he's assumed he was. This Torque was dangerous. "You remembered my name." As the criminal continued to talk, Robin felt the door opening. A whisper from Batgirl confirmed his suspicions.

"There's about eight of them… make that ten. Big." Though he couldn't see them himself, Robin realized that Batgirl was studying their soon-to-be opponents through the reflection between the computer screen and a vase in one of the bookshelves.

"Guns?"

"Four of them."

"Would you stop that whispering!" Torque cried out, banging his firearm against the desk. He calmed down quickly, and added, "I might think you're not taking me seriously and take offense." He gestured significantly at the tommy-gun he cradled in his arms.

"What's going on, Torque?"

"What does it look like, little bird? You walked into a trap." Though Robin couldn't see his face, he got the distinct impression that Torque was smiling as he continued, "Frankly, kid, I didn't think it would work. But he was sure you'd show up at the warehouse, and even more certain that you'd come here, looking for that piece of meat. Imagine my surprise to find---you _are_ just. That. Stupid." He barked a chuckle, and continued. "The Bat must be twitching in his grave…." Robin felt his fists tightening at the crack, sensed the heat from Batgirl's rage radiating just beside him. "And now… you're gonna find out what stupidity can cost one these days." At his nod, the band of thugs launched themselves on Robin and Batgirl.

With no time to think, Robin found himself somersaulting backwards to avoid a crowbar. He kicked it out of its owner's hands as he landed, and delivered a kick to his solar plexus that sent him straight into the wall and unconsciousness. A bullet whizzed past him and he swerved to avoid the rest, only to find they where aiming at Batgirl rather than him. The projectiles missed the blonde vigilante, but met with the flesh of another attacker. _I hate guns. _The shooter came into view, and he took the gun-bearing hand by the wrist, breaking it swiftly. The thug cried out and dropped the weapon; Robin didn't let go as he kicked to his left, delaying another goon and his knife for the precious few seconds it took to send the thug in his grasp sprawling into his buddy and knocking them both unconscious as they fell into a small table. Behind him, he heard Batgirl yell,

"Watch it!" Robin dropped to the ground as his partner flew overhead, the heel of her boot solidly connecting with some Joe's temple and taking him out. Before the goon even hit the ground, Robin had to roll to avoid the knife heading for his ribs. He jumped to his feet and kicked the knife away, then punched the goon hard on the jaw and again through the chin, upper-cutting him into obliviousness. He dodged to the left, avoiding a bullet that was way off mark anyway, kicked the gun out of someone's hand and took a step backwards---and found himself back-to-back with Batgirl. _Six, Seven, Eight down… Seven to go? What happened to ten?_ Somewhere in the room, Torque was laughing.

"There's not enough room here." Batgirl rasped behind him. She was right—between the furniture and the unconscious bodies littering the floor, it was foolish to think they wouldn't run out of room. Robin nodded his agreement, and said,

"We need to draw them out into the hall… or even better, outside."

"How are we doing that, Boy Wonder?" Robin breathed heavily, weighing they options. He drew his Bo staff, but stood still, his hand stealing to his utility belt and retrieving several smoke pellets.

"Just follow my lead…" he whispered finally, before throwing the pellets down, "and…RUN!" As the smoke rose, Robin used his Bo staff as means of propulsion, launching himself over the two thugs that stood between him and the door. He landed heavily, throwing them out of the way as he ran out of the study, Batgirl hot on his heels and their attackers just behind her. He'd meant to get out into the hallway, but it was too narrow—juts as bad as the cramped study. So he kept running, straight through the hall and up two flights of stairs, hoping to get to the roof where there was sure to be room for a proper brawl. As he reached the end of the staircase, there was a door. He threw it open, and found himself on the roof.

A strangled cry stopped him in his tracks. Turning around, he saw that one of the men had managed to get a hold of Batgirl's cape, successfully pulling her backwards and into his grasp. Instantly, Robin was on the air and on him, his powerful blow sending the man reeling into his companions, making them all—Robin and Bargirl included—tumble down the stairs and straight into last door of the fourth floor hallway. The door, though strong, could not withstand the momentum of eight brawny men and two not-so-slight crime-fighters ramming into it, and collapsed backwards, falling with a sharp, metallic clang on too-clean linoleum floor.

Following his momentum through into a roll, Robin rose to his feet, slightly dizzy. A couple of feet to his right, he saw Batgirl do the same. Some of the men had been rendered unconscious by the fall and impact, but five of them appeared to be well enough to stand up and fight. Allowing them no time to recuperate, Robin made quick work of the two closest to him, his Bo staff knocking the wind out of them and the heel of his hand sending one into obliviousness. The other's temple met with Robin's elbow and he, too, was out cold. The next he dispatched with an uppercut and a solid kick to the torso, though not before the goon got two punches in. When he looked up, he realized Batgirl was through with the other two and was instead staring at something in the center of the room.

Relaxing slightly, Robin finally noticed the pungent odor that filled the room, nauseating and overpowering... and something vaguely familiar under it, that Robin couldn't quite place. Attempting to discern its origin, Robin studied his surrounding as he made his way to Batgirl's side. They were in some kind of medical room… there were a number of machines strew through the room, and several trays of medical instruments and tools. _It's more like an O.R. than an infirmary, _he reflected, reaching Batgirl and finally seeing what held her so engrossed.

In the center of the room was an operating table. And on it, eyes bulging, jaw slack and open, chest cracked open… was Blockbuster.

* * *

Robin at once reconciled the hellish stink with the dead body of Bludhaven's late crime lord. Cause of death? Robin could venture a very safe guess that it had something to do with the gaping hole in his upper chest. The corpse was revolting, the once white skin tinged a putrid yellow, the blood that must've abandoned him days ago pooling into sticky, fetid—

"Well, well, well… I see you found what you were looking for." Torque's voice cut into Robin's morbid fascination. He was standing in the doorway, seemingly unconcerned at the pile of dispatched thugs at his feet. He now carried two firearms, bigger and a hell of a lot more intimidating than his usual tommy-gun. "I really should clean this mess up… but I'm afraid I just haven't had the time… what with a city to run and all that… Poor, dear Blockie---" Soames' voice changed then, and Robin and Batgirl barely had a chance to jump out of the way as the deranged lunatic shot Blockbuster's corpse full of lead. "—didn't even see it coming.

"You could say it was the end of an era… And while we're on the subject, there's another legacy I've been meaning to cut short!" And just like that, the air was full of bullets and thunder. The two costumed heroes dove for cover, Batgirl behind a heart monitor, Robin behind a crash cart. Through the haze, he saw Batgirl trying to establish eye contact. Her lips were moving. Robin frowned for a second, trying to discern her meaning.

"_Cover. Me." _Robin nodded, took a deep breath—and dashed back out into range. The lead followed him as he crossed the room and dove over a medical cart, appropriating the aluminum tray as some semblance of protection. But there's a reason why aluminum doesn't make for very good bullet-proof vests—in seconds, the tray was done for, having had served its purpose as something shiny for Soames to aim at instead of Robin's head. When the tray outlived its usefulness, Robin threw it at his would-be killer as one would a disk, successfully hitting the eyepiece in his head.

Those few seconds were all the time Batgirl needed. Soames tried to hit her as she flew over his head and landed upright behind him. She winked at his twisted face just before she doused him with chloroform. Torque was out of it before his body could process the command to turn around. The slap of his body as it hit the floor resonated through the room.

Robin frowned; the echoes had lasted long enough. Then he went cold---those were not echoes. It was the sound of clapping. And then he heard a voice that seemed straight out of his nightmares.

"Bravo, Robin." The voice said, in that condescending, sing-song tone it saved specifically for the times in which Robin inadvertently did exactly as it wanted. Robin shut his eyes, desperately hoping that the voice was only in his head. "Bravo. And that girl… she's certainly something." _It's not real, it's not him; I'm tired and desperate and imagining things. "_Although, to be fair, dear Torque wasn't that much of a challenge, was he? Fool of a man… my orders were that you must be captured alive. How he expected to accomplish that through the use of those two monstrous firearms, one can only guess at…"

Unable to stand it any longer, Robin turned around. From somewhere in the wreckage of the room, a familiar-looking disk was projecting the image of the one person Robin truly despised. And he was grinning---Robin could tell. Under his mask, Slade was grinning.

* * *

"Robin… who is this freak?" He was barely aware of Batgirl coming to stand beside him.

"Robin, I'm hurt. You haven't told _Batgirl_ about our time together? How utterly disappointing." With all the venom in his body, Robin acknowledged the villain.

"Slade… I should've guessed you'd have a hand in this."

"A hand in what, precisely?" Robin growled lowly, the mockery in his adversary's voice making his blood feel like shrapnel. "The sudden rise of former Inspector Dudley Soames to the top of the Bludhaven food chain? Blockbuster's _failed_ heart transplant operation? The death of Bruce Wayne?" Slade's sleek, mellifluous voice grew, if possible, even more sinister as he added, "Or should I say, Batman? The location of his _innards_? Which is it…Richard?" The eye in his mask twinkled.

Robin's mouth went dry. Those names, his and Bruce's, on _his_ tongue… they chilled him to the bone. But he was determined not to play Slade's game, to remain unresponsive to the subtle manipulation he always employed. _How_ he learned their identities was of no consequence---there was nothing to be done about that now. There were other things to focus on.

"Whatever it is you're planning, I _will _stop you. You won't hurt anyone else ever again!" Robin yelled, his throat raw. The statement was more than a show of bravado, quite useless in the present circumstances; it was the reiteration of a promise much deeper than the meaning of the words chosen to formulate it. In a way, it was an echo of the vow taken long ago by another boy when he, too, was robbed of his parents---a reiteration of the oath Robin had formulated in the face of his own loss.

Only this time, it was directed exclusively at Slade.

"Stop what, my dear boy? It is done. Finished." The masked man laughed a little, low and mirthlessly. "Bruce Wayne is dead. The crime hierarchy of Bludhaven has been re-arranged to fit my will. And I have what I wanted—the means to a most glorious end, one that I've desired for the many years!" For a moment, his laughter escalated into maniacal chuckle---loud, quick and sharp---but he quickly curbed it back into serenity. "That matter, however, is not shat I mean to discuss with you presently---there'll be plenty of time for that later. As I was saying, Robin, it's plain that the time in which you might've acted to stop me—however fruitless that would've been—is long past… But by all means… if you feel there is something you _need_ to do, go ahead. Indulge. I'll even make it easier for you…" The camera panned out and suddenly Robin and Batgirl could see Slade's surroundings. The backdrop to his transmission was a scene neither would easily forget---a close up of Gotham's skyline, its most impressive buildings as seen from a window in the highest floor of the building that stood in the center of it all.

The bastard was standing right in Bruce's office, his back to the panoramic window behind the desk!

"I would absolutely _relish _your company, especially after that idiot Soames failed to provide me with it. There's so much I want to discuss with you, Robin----matters of the utmost transcendence to both our lives." There it was again, that eerie shadow of a smile beneath the mask. "And just to make sure you _do_ show… I think I'll take a little insurance. Good-bye for now, Robin. Batgirl. I look forward to seeing you both _soon_." The transmission ended---and suddenly Robin knew what it was that the pungent odor of Blockbuster's carcass masked: the smell of leaking gas—_sleeping gas._ Mere traces of it, though suddenly all the more intense, as if the chutes through which it had been previously pumped had been re-opened and a fresh batch introduced into the environment. Neither wasted a second, but it was too late; the continued exposure combined with the full force intake of the last few moments proved too much for the masked crime-fighters.

"Batgirl, quick, get--"

"The re-breathers, I can't---"

And just like that, they were swallowed by the black.

_

* * *

Red Notes:_

_Ok, so there wasn't a lot of Cy, Star, Raven or BB on this chapter. It wasn't intentional. I actually wrote out several other scenes for them, but no matter how I tried to fit them into the chapter, they just ruined the flow of Robin and Batgirl's scenes—which is, of course, nothing but one long scene. I believe the word I'm looking for is 'anticlimactic'. Or something like that. Anyway, those scenes _were _important, so I had to find a way to allude to them in the next chapter. I particularly grieved the loss of Raven's scene (of which I included only the first few paragraphs) which was, ironically, the only one out the bunch that was completely pointless. Anyway, hopefully I made the right call and the chapter worked. _

_Slade: Ha! I'm sure a lot of you saw that coming. Ironically, I didn't, not until I sat down to write _this _chapter. I hope it's not terribly disappointing. But the way I see it, e4nding the whole thing with Blockie was way more predictable than bringing Slade in. Besides, the entire scheme isn't out yet---though I should guess it's easy to imagine what's coming. I hope not, anyway. The original cut of this chapter featured a lot more Slade monologue, but I thought I'd save it for the last chapter. Give it more power, you know? Or try to, at least. _

_The sleeping gas: Was that terribly lame? I wrote a version in which Sladebots came out of the walls but that just seemed _too _ridiculous. Especially since Slade was supposedly expecting Soames to deliver Robin and Batgirl. There was also a version with the disk exploding and Robin and Batgirl having to jump out of the building and getting knocked out by the explosion. That one I liked, actually, but ultimately decided against it when I realized that the whole pile of goons would be too many for Rob and Babs to take with them, and I didn't feel comfortable with killing them off. Anyway, at least with the sleeping gas, I could play it like the chutes were---oops, sorry, that's a spoiler right there. _

_Ok, it's 9:12. I'm off to post this thing. I hope it lived up to any expectations you might've held, and that it was at least entertaining._

_Please, don't forget to review and tell me what you think. I love reviews, and there have been ones that I've _really_ been able to take advantage from and that have significantly helped me become a better writer and to improve the quality of this fic. Is that too cheesy? Hahahahaha I'm sorry, but it's the truth. You guys are great reviewers. _

_--Red Room Flare_


	9. The Chessboard

_Hey. Fée here with the last 'real' chapter of Gotham at Daybreak. I'm so happy this story's finally done, I won't waste anymore time with padding. _

_Read on. _

_Oh, and I don't own nuthin'._

* * *

Starfire was feeling very nervous, sitting on a cold vinyl couch that complained loudly every time she shifted and waiting for Beast Boy to emerge from his examination. Though assured by the medical staff that the tests wouldn't take long and that they'd have the results immediately, her vigilance was entering its fourth hour. This was taking too long, and that frightened her—what if the doctors had found something terribly wrong inside her friend?

She wanted to draw comfort from her surroundings, but STAR Labs waiting rooms obviously hadn't been designed with comfort in mind. The walls were a blinding white, impersonal and sterile, completely bare. The room's entire furnishings consisted of a metallic door on one of the walls, a tiny table on which sat two outdated magazines containing nothing but senseless medical jargon that had since been disproved and suggested newly two or three times already, and the highly uncomfortable loveseat she currently occupied. The air around her was chilly and stale, filling her mouth with the taste of plastic.

To pass the time, she fumbled with her comm.-link, which apparently could take photographs and analyze the composition of the atmosphere around her in addition to its basic communication functions. Star had also managed to change the template and style of the menu from plain black and red to a much lovelier pink and red. She wondered what else it could do and decided she'd have to read the manual sometime soon.

Movement caught her eye; she looked up to see the door noiselessly slide open and Beast Boy come through it. He looked a little out of it, not necessarily messy or unkempt, but as though he'd only recently woken up. Starfire rose to meet him, her voice filling the entire room,

"Friend Beast Boy! I am joyous that you have emerged! Please, tell me how the testing went with you."

"They put something inside me. Like a… I don't know. It's supposed to do something, release medicine every time I begin to loose control or something like that… I'm not sure…"

"But… did they not specify what the problem was in the first place?"

"That's the thing, Star… They say it's… psychological… They couldn't find anything---anything _wrong_ with me, anything inside me or in my DNA… so they say it has to be here." He tapped his head with his middle finger. "Like I'm loosing my grip on who I am and stuff, so that when I change into an animal I kinda forget I was…_am_ human to begin with." He reached the loveseat and let himself fall on it. "What am I gonna do, Star? I mean, the medicine is supposed to keep me thinking straight, but I can't stay like this… I can't be crazy."

Starfire held back her answer, preferring to study him first. Face in his hands, shoulders hunched---she'd never seen Beast Boy quite this distraught, though his voice matched that which she remember from the conversation between him and Robin, which she'd overheard only the day before. She intensely disliked it.

"My Friend," she began, crouching in front of him so that they were eye to eye---no way was she sitting down _again_, "I do not think you are possessing any of 'the craziness'. I believe you are merely… confused, not at all unlike the rest of us at the moment… Perhaps it is simply due to the nature of you powers that your reaction is more dramatic that of us." She reached out and surprised Beast Boy by running her hand gently through his green hair. "From what you have told me, I believe this to be a matter of control. If you wish to resolve this circumstance and be independent from pharmaceuticals, I believe it is necessary that you learn to practice a higher degree of control over your powers. You are lucky in this---for that purpose, Friend Raven is wonderful and I believe she will comply to assist you if you ask her to."

Startled, Beast Boy's head shot up.

"You're kidding! Dude, she'll kill me where I stand!"

"I do not agree… she was most solicitous when I attempted to learn meditation. If you approach her sincerely and oblige her suggestions, she will teach you what you need to know."

"You think so?"

"I do." She smiled, and suddenly the room wasn't that barren anymore. "Now smile. The problem is resolved for now and it is a marvelous winter day outside. I wish to escape this room and transverse to the park. Will you join me? I might indulge in a hot pastry or sugary confection."

Uncertain, Beast Boy sighed. It couldn't be as easy as that, could it? Drugs and a chat with Raven and suddenly he wasn't dying at all… He kind of wanted to go home and lie down to think everything through, try and come to terms with what confused him in the first place: was it the team? His role in it? Something about himself?

He caught another glimpse of Star's blinding smile and----_go home and think? With the most beautiful girl in the world tugging on my hand and fun at the park to be had? Hell, I _am_ crazy!_ Shaking his head clear of any remaining grayness, Beast Boy gave Star a grin of his own.

"Sure, Star. I'll buy, even."

* * *

When Robin awoke, he did so numb and disoriented. For a second, he looked for Raven's warm presence nearby. When he couldn't find it, he opened his eyes and gathered his wits. Slowly, he remembered what had happened—Torque, his thugs, Roland Desmond's corpse, the sleeping gas.

Even so, he took a second to smile to himself---_Raven. Three days and already I reach for her in sleep._

The smile vanished when he remembered the last link in the chain—_Slade._

Instantly alert, he forced his muscles to pull him into a standing position. Looking around, he spotted the pile of discarded thugs—Torque included—still deep in the throes of unconsciousness; most likely, the sleeping gas had finished off what a couple of well-aimed punches had started. He'd have to give the Bludhaven PD a call and let them know there was a nice pile of gift-wrapped goons ready for pick up. No doubt there were several arrest warrants with all these thugs' names on them gathering dust on some file cabinet.

At the very least, Robin knew that Soames was a wanted man.

Satisfied with that course of action, Robin continued his quick survey of the room. He frowned---where was Batgirl? She had been a mere two feet away when they'd both lost consciousness; but now, she was nowhere to be seen. Even if she had woken up before him, she would've never left him alone and vulnerable to attack.

Suddenly, Slade's parting words rang in his head. _And just to make sure you do show… I think I'll take a little insurance._

"Bastard!" He had Batgirl. Slade had taken Batgirl. Right under his nose.

Hands shaking, Robin reached for his comm.-link. Snapping it open, he called,

"Titans. Titans, this is Robin. Come in." Cyborg's face came into view on the miniature screen.

"Yo, Rob. What's up?"

"Slade." He let the word fester for a moment, imagining all the ways through which he could impress upon Slade the stupidity of laying his dirty hands on his family. "He's somehow involved in all this… I'm not sure how, yet. But I have a theory… and he---he has Batgirl. Wayne Tower, in Gotham City. Main office, top floor. I want you there ten seconds ago." He paused for a moment, thinking through the backbone of his plan. "Don't wait for me—just go in. I'll be there before you will, and I'm not giving him any more time alone with Batgirl…"

"Rob…"

"Just be careful. The place will most likely be crawling with Sladebots and God knows what else. I… I don't want to loose any of you over this. Be smart. Stick together—you're strongest together. And… just hurry."

"Got it, Robin. And don't worry---we'll get her back. And we'll make him pay."

"Yes. We will." Snapping the comm.-link shut, Robin cut the call.

* * *

As the screen in front of him went black, Cyborg turned to look at his teammates: Raven, sitting in the couch, her book forgotten beside her; Beast Boy, frozen besides Starfire where they had been just entering the common room, their cheeks still flushed from their day in the park. Their faces stared back at him unflinchingly.

"Well, y'all heard the man. Titans---move it!"

They don't need to be told twice---they never do.

* * *

Robin's mind was a mess as he ran downhill through the vegetation, desperate as he was to reach the spot where he had parked the R-Cycle only hours ago. The path was treacherous, made even more so by the pressing darkness of a Bludhaven night, in which stars were completely obstructed by the dense curtain of greenhouse gases and other industrial by-products.

The Bludhaven-Gotham corridor was a mere 87 kilometers in length, but trailers, trucks, idiotic drivers and enraged commuters elongated the distance to an average of an hour and a half. Tonight, however, Robin was in no mood to humor the law------armed with the R-Cycle's superior performance and his own prodigious driving expertise, Robin fearlessly zigzagged, jumped, passed and dodged the majority of the late night traffic. The entire time, his brain was busy elsewhere-----half planning with careful detail exactly what he would do to that deranged psychopath the minute Slade was within his grasp, half making fervent promises that would go unheard by Batgirl or the other Titans but that just might make it to Bruce's ears, wherever the man might be…

Heaven, hopefully. If anyone deserved it, the Dark Knight did.

Robin's parents had taught him their faith, and though he retained a persistent belief in the God he'd been introduced to as a child, he had through the years come to view him as more of a spectator than an active participant in his daily life. The entire sum of the Creator's involvement in Robin's life----as far as Robin was concerned----was that last night in the circus, when He ensured the presence of Bruce Wayne in Dick Grayson's life. And after that, God didn't really need to watch out for Robin anymore, because with Bruce there---to teach him and challenge him and, yes, love him---there was nothing he couldn't handle.

And so, when he abruptly cut the engine and finally stood at the entrance to Wayne Tower, when he narrowed his eyes, fists tight, and muttered a prayer out to the sky------it wasn't God he was requesting aid from.

The street was deserted, though not strangely so. It was near midnight, and, except for the occasional exhausted desk clerk or perusing robber, Gotham's business district was always quiet at this time of night. During the day, this place was the heart of Gotham, a flurry of frenetic activity and urgent motion… but at night, the action moved elsewhere----to theaters and hotels and nightclubs, or, depending on whom you were, rooftops and alleys.

The building's immense shadow darkened the night around it beyond the streetlights' redemptory qualities. Robin looked around briefly for the T-Car, finding it nowhere. The Titans weren't there yet. He wouldn't wait; Barbara was in there, alone with Slade, and he'd already wasted enough time. Taking a deep breath, Robin placed his hand against the glass of the revolving door and pushed.

The door gave way smoothly and Robin entered the building, trying to rid himself of the sensation that he was being swallowed by the darkness.

As he walked through the familiar marble floor of the lobby, Robin looked for the security guards. Though he already knew what he was likely to find, he still retained to smallest hope that Stan and Mike would be safely gagged and bound in a closet somewhere. When he couldn't find their corpses that hope strengthened just a little. He continued his way through the lobby, feeling the uncomfortable pressure of dozens of cybernetic eyes on his back----_Sladebots_. He could tell the machines were activated because of the red glow in their electronic eyes. They remained unmoving, though; Robin guessed that he wasn't included in their 'target' rooster, probably because Slade had made it perfectly clear he wanted Robin alive. The robots probably wouldn't show the same consideration towards the Titans… Robin had to fight down the urge to cut down the Sladebots right then and there in an attempt to ensure his friends' safety; he had absolutely no time to loose and besides he knew perfectly well that his friends could take care of themselves. _Trust them._ They were strong, fast, smart. _The Sladebots don't stand a chance. _

Robin banished that worry to the back of his head and pressed the call button for the elevator. For a second, he debated whether to take the stairs, but finally decided that Slade obviously wasn't interested in hurting him just yet-----the only danger to him waited in the top office, and he was heading there anyway.

Inside the elevator, it was easy to forget himself and pretend that this was any other day----that Dick Grayson was paying a visit to his guardian, that when the door opened on the 87th floor he would step outside as nothing more than the nineteen year old heir of business magnate Bruce Wayne, that he would smile and wink at the redhead in the reception before walking down the long hallway to the executive elevator that would take him to the penthouse, that the blonde secretary there would let him through with nothing more than a giggle, that maybe Lucious Fox would step out of the elevator as the doors opened and beg him to talk some sense into Bruce before he ran the corporation into the ground.

Most of all he fervently wanted to believe that when the bell rang and the door of the executive elevator slid open, the light from the panoramic window would hit him in the face and he'd have to squint before being able to decipher the silhouette of Bruce sitting in his big, black chair, his feet crossed over his desk, his eyes closed in what anybody else might mistake for a nap----anybody but Dick, that is, who also knew that when Bruce sensed his presence, sat up, and greeted him affably… there was a smile in his voice that belonged only to Dick, a pride, a… love that can only exist between----between father and son.

The bell rang. The door slid open. The office was dark.

"Welcome, Robin. How good of you to come…"

* * *

"This is the place, right?" Cyborg asked offhandedly as he killed the engine. The Titans descended from the T-Car.

"I'd say so, yes…"answered Raven, spying Robin's motorcycle abandoned on the curb. Starfire followed her eyes and immediately exclaimed,

"Please, Friends, let us hurry----we must not allow Friend Robin to encounter Slade on his own! And I am most worried for Friend Batgirl…"

"Maybe we should've first tried a less obvious point of access…" Cyborg muttered as he pushed the revolving doors and entered the building, followed by Raven and Beast Boy.

"Don't worry, Star, we'll be with them in no time…" The green shape-shifter walked backwards as he comforted his alien friend. The girl smiled at him gratefully. He was about to grin back when he ran into Raven. "Dude, what the…"

Facing them was an army of Sladebots bigger than they'd imagine could fit into the lobby; dozens of electronic eyes threatened them trough the dark. For a moment, the Titans remained frozen in a mixture of dread and frustration.

"You were saying?" Raven deadpanned.

"Titans…" Cyborg began as he reconfigured his arm into a sonic canon.

"Yeah, we know:" interrupted Beast Boy, "_go!_"

* * *

"Slade. Let's get this over with: where's Batgirl?"

"Your pretty friend is quite alright, Robin; you needn't worry for her." Slade snapped his fingers and the lights came on, illuminating the female crimefighter who lay bound and gagged on one of the sofas. Robin couldn't tell for sure, but she seemed to be unconscious. On the ground beside the couch, he could glimpse the corpses that must have belonged to the night guards. "She'll be released unharmed as soon as you and I reach an understanding."

"And what understanding might that be?"

"The same one it's always been, Richard----I want you to take your rightful place as my apprentice."

"You know my answer to that: Never."

"Oh, but you see, Dick… That is what you're called, correct? Dick…"

"Robin's _fine_." The masked crimefighter corrected, steel underscoring his voice.

"Fine, _Robin_; have it your way for now. There'll be plenty of time to define such nuisances once you've joined me for good."

"I doubt that."

"Where was I? Oh, yes---circumstances have changed, Robin. The status quo has been altered and I'm certain you'll find my offer irresistible this time around… But first things first---I'm certain you were quite shocked to hear me address you by your civilian name. To be honest, so was I upon discovering said name. The puzzle of your identity had kept me… occupied… for years. Imagine my surprise when I finally realized just how simple it really was. You see, the last time you and I met---you remember, yes? That unpleasant episode involving your psychic friend and her… ah, _family_. It was during that incident that I witnessed a feat of extraordinary acrobatic merit, one that I hadn't ever seen before or since. It… made an impression on me. A quadruple somersault. Not easily forgotten. And yet… it might have remained inconsequential, another of your extraordinary gifts, to be catalogued and taken into account for future ventures. That, my dear Robin, was when Providence intervened. Through mere coincidence, I came to learn that this… feat was even rarer than I originally thought: only three people in the world have mastered it.

"Now, this alone meant nothing: as a costumed… hero, you were hardly likely to advertise your acrobatic prowess to the public and might therefore not be taken into account on that list. Nevertheless, my instincts dictated that I should pry further. My thoroughness was rewarded. One of the three was a boy of then 17, a former member of a circus troupe who had mastered the quadruple somersault before the age of ten—a true prodigy. Tragedy, however, struck him soon after. His parents, acrobats as well, were murdered, and the boy was orphaned. He was then adopted by Bruce Wayne, arguably the man less likely in all of Gotham to adopt a child. Within weeks, Robin was jumping from rooftop to rooftop with all the agility of a trained performer. Coincidence? It might've been. But then, some five years later, Richard Grayson was sent abroad to a nonexistent school, conveniently vanishing on the same week Robin was first sighted in Jump City.

"Still a coincidence? Not likely. Maybe the name of the school was changed to protect the ward of Bruce Wayne from the media. Maybe he enrolled under an alias in a well-known institute. And maybe you had been laboring in Jump for weeks before the press took notice. Unlikely, but I had to be sure. So I disguised myself and followed Richard Grayson during one of his brief visits to Gotham. Nothing he'd remember---a stranger who brushed past him on a crowded sidewalk and subtly cut off a lock of dark hair that the boy never missed. You see, Robin, I needed his DNA. I had to be sure. I already had yours---the results from a sample carefully preserved and taken off the 'R' shuriken Terra brought me as proof of you defeat. Back then, I had been toying the idea of using the DNA to clone you and thus have my _own_ Robin to train as a rightful heir---even then, I knew that little blonde brat could never live up to the promise of _your_ potential. Alas, death cut that scheme short. Even so, I don't believe I would've gone through with it---why settle for a copy, when the original is within my grasp?

"I digress. As I was saying, I was fortunate in that several of my… hideouts… survived my fall. Armed with the two samples, it was child's play to compare them and see confirmed what I had suspected from the very moment I learned of the existence of Richard Grayson; the circus boy and the hero were---are---one and the same: you.

"Still, this discovery was hardly relevant to my ultimate goal. Knowing who you were was only the first step in securing your apprenticeship. You see, Robin, for the longest time I couldn't figure out why you kept turning my offer down again and again?"

"You couldn't figure out why?" Robin interrupted with disbelief, but Slade dismissed his sarcasm.

"The perfect apprentice for the perfect master… how could you refuse? The more I thought it through, the less sense it made… until I remembered something you said many years ago as you renounced your place beside me for the first time: _I already have a Father._

"Yes, you remember, of course you so. _I already have a Father._ Loyalty was the key. I can hardly reproach you, Robin---it is an admirable quality. Your loyalty to your own father kept you away from me… only, I realized, Dick Grayson had been fatherless for a decade: John Grayson had long been buried… I'd hit another dead end, or so it seemed. But then inspiration stroke anew: Bruce Wayne.

"It made sense, of course----as the billionaire fop, the man had taken you in when you had no one else left in the world, taken care of you and ensured your well-being. And as Batman, he'd taught you an entire new way of life. Of course you'd be loyal to him… Until Bruce Wayne… until Batman was removed, you would never be free to take your place at my side."

"You bastard, you------" He desperately wanted to launch himself against Slade, to pound his face against the floor until his mask cracked and blood flowed from his face and stained the marble floor. But a horrified curiosity held him spellbound and static, unable to break free from the madman's tale.

"So I removed him. It took a while to plan it perfectly----this was, after all, Batman I was taking down. I devised a plan. I went to Bludhaven, where my sources had revealed I would find a dying Blockbuster. The poor fool was near desperate, having used up heart after heart for years… he was even considering using a gorilla heart, if you can believe it. Under such circumstances, he was easily manipulated into entertaining one last human donor whose strength might just suit his needs: the Batman. I orchestrated the entire operation, deduced when and where the Batman would be at his weakest, which _were_ his weaknesses, if any. I found three: you, the old man, and Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman. You, of course, were out of the question. I didn't really care either way between Catwoman or the old man, but an opportunity arose involving Ms. Kyle first and so I went with it. It wasn't easy to put Blockbuster's many resources to use and blackmail Bruce Wayne into surrendering himself in exchange for Ms. Kyle's life, but I made it work.

"I gave him no opportunity to escape, kept him unconscious from the kidnapping until the very end as he lay on the slab and the doctors extracted his heart and replaced it with a short-lived mechanism of my own invention. Why keep him alive? I'll admit I looked forward to a… chat… between the two of us. Bruce Wayne intrigued me, as did the obvious distance between him and you… I wondered whether he realized what potential he had at arm's length… and I wanted him to know what illustrious future I had in store for you…

"Batman escaped, of course, the very second he was able to but I hardly cared by then: I knew the combination of chemicals and machinery that kept him breathing and moving would hardly last a day. My attention turned then to the very pinnacle of my genius-----the moment in which the doctors took the Batman's heart and placed it in my own chest instead of Blockbuster's, leaving the behemoth to die without ever realizing he'd been betrayed.

"Can you see, Robin, the dazzling height of my brilliance? Not only have I removed the one man who stood between you and me, but I've made him part of myself! Batman's heart beats inside my ribcage-----your father's heart! My heart!

"And now you're free to assume the role that was always meant for you----that of my apprentice and surrogate son." His tale concluded, Slade was silent. Standing only feet away from Robin, tonight he seemed darker than ever before: a nightmare, like always, a psychopath, but now with an added twist of utter insanity that made him all the more…terrible, yes, but also almost… human…

Robin had never felt an ounce of admiration for his nemesis, but over the years he'd developed a grudging respect for the man's obvious genius and skill. Slade had always been that other towering figure in his life----the counterpart to Batman, the _other_, more _sinister_ Dark Knight--------and like Bruce Wayne, Slade Wilson had never seemed anything other than immortal, larger than life and certainly larger than Robin himself. If life were a chess game, it would be Batman on one end and Slade on the other, with Robin hoping around desperately from square to square trying his best to choose his own path despite the older men's wills, to impress the one and vanquish the other.

But the events of this week had destroyed Robin's view of the world. Batman was dead, and thus not immortal. And Slade… Finally Robin could see the sheer extension of Slade's madness, the way his obsession---for Robin himself, nonetheless----had grown too powerful to control, had become larger than Slade himself, had actually taken over his will.

He wasn't larger than life. He wasn't immortal, endless or indomitable. He wasn't larger than Robin, not anymore and perhaps had never been.

The chess board vanished.

Tonight, Slade was human. Tonight, Slade could die.

And, by God, he would.

"You're sick, Slade. I don't care whose heart that is in your chest------you were dead the moment you touched Bruce!" Robin had nothing more to say; too much information had been introduced into his mind in only a few minutes and there was no room to properly process it; there was room for one thought only: Make. Him. Pay.

_Justice._

Robin's attack was quick enough that Slade didn't anticipate it; in seconds, the Boy Wonder's steel-tipped boot had connected with the villain's solar plexus and sent him flying into the desk behind him. It took Slade less than half that time to regain his footing and counter Robin's onslaught, blocking the solid right hook that had meant to hit his jaw.

"Stupid boy----what is the matter with you! Don't you understand?" yelled Slade, his rage plain, as he dropped low to avoid another punch.

"No." was Robin's stoic answer. Anticipating the low kick that was meant to trip him, the Titan Leader somersaulted backwards, adopting as he landed an aggressive stance that wouldn't allow for much defense but suited his current purpose just fine. Wasting no time in thinking, Robin launched himself into another attack. Slade blocked the punch expertly, but didn't anticipate the knee that found the space just under his ribs. Muscle memory reacted and prevented the villain from reflexively doubling over and instead the killer-for-hire reiterated with a series of punches. Robin blocked expertly but the last one found his jaw, sending him reeling sideways. The Boy Wonder fell to the ground, following his momentum into a roll that took him under a small table. Capitalizing on the opportunity, the acrobat threw the light piece of furniture at his opponent, sending him straight into the wall. Severely dizzy, though not unconscious, from the blow to his head, Slade slumped down into the floor.

It took four seconds for Robin to make up his mind: he could either use what might be his only chance to free Batgirl or go after the momentarily disabled Slade who might be faking his condition in order to lure him into a trap. Thinking no further, the Boy Wonder hurried to his friend's side.

"Bar---Batgirl!" _Just because he knows my identity doesn't mean he knows hers as well. _"C'mon, wake up…" The effort was useless; Batgirl was obviously drugged and would wake only once the effect of the pharmaceutical had passed. Robin growled in despair; the walls of his head were threatening to collapse from the pounding within then; he was unnaturally hot and nauseated--------too much information, too fast. _Bruce is dead and Slade is not. He has to die but I---I can't kill him even if I…would I? I don't know, can't think, can't think, can't think what do I do!? Have to get Batgirl out of danger out of here she's not responding is she breathing? God, please let her be alright---I can't loose anyone else can't loose Babs or Alfred or Raven or Star or BB or Cy or no one dies! No one dies, not anymore----Slade can't get to them, I won't let him----I'll stop him! I'll kill him! I…._

_I…_

_I won't. No one else dies. No one._ And with that realization, he felt the cool rush of clarity wash over him. No more fighting himself while he was fighting Slade, no more loosing time in hopes that fate might intervene or the solution might drop out of the sky.

_No more death._

So simple.

If he were to witness this moment from outside himself, Robin might've been able to appreciate the irony: All the angst and the anger, the struggling against becoming his mentor, of molting his feathers and becoming the Batman… and here he was, another son making the same promise all over again when confronted with the greatest loss he could ever endure.

_No one else dies._

And like that, the oath is his-----Batman's true heritage, his mantle beyond the cape and cowl, and Robin had taken it upon himself out of his own free will and spontaneous volition, had done so not because it was Batman's but because it was good and right. And this reason made all the difference, freed him in a way he didn't rationalize but immediately grasped.

_No one dies. Okay. And now…how do I stop Slade? _Robin almost smiled. He'd been made for this.

Quickly, he cut Batgirl's bonds and removed her gag so that she might be free if she woke up before he was done with Slade. He was trying to figure out what his next step should be when heard Slade behind him.

"Robin." Slade's voice carried a hint of amusement that Robin found utterly loathsome, but helpful. He had been right in ignoring Slade in favor of Batgirl; the villain had been faking unconsciousness before, Robin was sure. "We're not done yet, are we?"

"No." The Boy Wonder responded stoically, straightening to his full height before turning around to face the assassin.

"Good. You've gotten better while I was away, my boy, and it pleases me to find out by just how much. However, I can easily tell that there're many lessons you have yet to learn and which it will be my privilege to teach you. Isn't that exciting, Robin?"

"No. It's not."

"My, my… you've got quite an attitude problem, haven't you?" Slade's mellifluous voice grew even more sinister. "No matter; we'll whip it out of you in no time."

"What's it gonna take for you to get it straight that I'm not, and never will be, your apprentice!" Robin lashed out furiously, thoroughly sick of being reminded that Batman was dead for want of him. _Throw them off balance; loss of control is fatal; keep your emotions out of it, always…_ Slowly, and idea began to hatch inside his head. "First of all, because I'd never follow you! Second, because you can't ever take Bruce's place, I don't care how much of his flesh you've stolen; you'll never be as good as him! And most importantly-----" It took everything he had not to smile as he continued. "_I don't need a master!_ I'm no one's apprentice and especially not yours! You're too late, Slade! I've grown into my own and there's nothing you can do about it---------you can't turn back time, you can't make me younger, you can't------you missed any chance you might've ever had in making me into anything different than what I am today.

"Even if by some miracle you managed to convince me to become your apprentice, it would do you no good. You said you were curious as to why Batman and I drifted apart: this is why. Distance is inevitable when the student outgrows the teacher, when the son becomes too much to remain in the shadow of the father." Slade stood stock-still. He seemed genuinely shaken by Robin's impromptu speech. When he regained his footing, what seemed hours but had only been seconds later, his voice was curiously hushed and dryer that ever.

"Hush, Robin. It is I who will decide when, if ever, you're beyond my sphere of influence."

"Look at me, Slade. I'm nineteen, I've lost not one but two fathers-------I've weathered the end of the world and seen eye to eye with the sickest forms of human perversion. And yet, here I stand, all alone, against the man who murdered Batman, and I'm not even shaking. Do you really think I need you, or anyone else, anymore?"

Silence, only broken by Robin's own heartbeat as it resonated against his eardrums. Then,

"Why didn't I see it before? Only thirteen, maybe fourteen when we first met one another… And now… Such a waste. You and I, Robin----we would've been grand. I'd made something truly great out of you. I would've done justice to your potential… But I suppose there's no helping it; I missed my window." Slade's voice and physical expression were the strangest Robin had ever witnessed from the man; his words seemed calm and pragmatic and yet they were uttered in a dry, irrational tone that lend them a certain… absurdity. Slade was mad with anger, no doubt about it; Robin subtly shifted his stance as his hand stole to his retractable Bo staff. "And now, you have to die. If you aren't mine to mold, Robin, I can't risk having you around to interfere with future ventures. I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"I'm not." The Boy Wonder had time to utter before Slade had pounced on him, staff out and eye hard. Robin quickly drew his own weapon and countered the hit, simultaneously twisting sideways so as to lead the maniac away from the stirring Batgirl. His enemy followed him and they clashed staffs once more. From under their crossed weapons, Slade's knee dug itself beneath Robin's ribs and the Titan leader swooned with nausea. The killer-for-hire didn't waste any time in following up with a savage uppercut that sent both Robin and his staff spiraling into separate directions through the air. Only just in time, the masked crime-fighter managed to land with a roll. A tiny part of his consciousness wasted energy in stating that Slade wasn't kidding this time around and this fight was really for his life. Robin promptly shut that voice down and focused instead on drawing a trio of birdarangs between his fingers and throwing them at his adversary. Slade deftly deflected two of them with his Bo staff, but the third one found its mark, embedding itself in the villain's thigh. The madman didn't even stop to wrench the weapon out of his flesh, only charged against his former ambition with deathly determination.

Robin swerved right to avoid the first sweep of Slade's staff, then ducked and rolled into a crouch to evade the second one. A third hit threatened from above, but the Boy Wonder flipped backwards and it went wide. When the next one came, the Titan leader jumped high into the air and called upon every drop of his circus blood to gather the balance necessary to perch on the staff itself. Momentarily taken aback, Slade couldn't defend himself from a brutal kick to his chin as Robin somersaulted off the weapon. The force of the blow knocked the hit man to his back, his hold on his Bo staff loosened. Robin was at his side in a flash, steel-toed boot crushing the man's wrist as he took the combat weapon for his own and pressed its tip to Slade's throat.

_Check._

A heartbeat went by in which the silence was absolute except for the two combatant's heavy breathing. Then the battle continued as Slade made use of his superior strength to take the Bo staff in his massive hands and literally force it off his throat. Robin fought back, and the resulting pressure broke the weapon neatly in two. Throwing his piece aside, Slade flipped to his feet just in time to block the younger man's axe kick. Taking the offending foot in his hands, the villain twisted it around with the intention to break it, but the Boy Wonder followed through the motion into a midair spin that prevented further damage and freed him from the other's grasp. The Titan leader descended from the spin into a handspring, maximizing his inertia into a powerful blow to Slade's chest, throwing the man on his back for the second time in as many minutes.

This time Robin went straight for the goal, straddling his enemy's chest and putting his hands around his neck, hoping he'd pass out from oxygen deprivation if he applied enough pressure. For a few seconds it seemed to work, with Slade clutching at the Titan leader's hands furiously and trying to throw him off. Then the sociopath's knee finally connected with the Boy Wonder's back, throwing him forward and off him. The younger man moved into a roll and was attempting to regain his footing when he felt something wickedly sharp dig into his side. He instinctively twisted away from the pain and found that his enemy had not only dug the birdarang out of his thigh but had found the way to stab him with it; the weapon was now dripping with both their blood.

Robin tried to ignored the pain and maximize his position into a low swipe at the villain's feet, but he was unprepared for his nerves' excruciating response and stumbled backwards. His hand landed on the abandoned pieces of Slade's staff, and he retrieved them to use as esgrima sticks. Only marginally better protected, the Boy Wonder managed to block two consecutive kicks and eventually land a hit of his own to Slade's wounded leg. His adversary flinched, clearly unsteady on his feet, but retaliated with an onslaught of kicks and punches that forced Robin to steadily back away until he suddenly hit the wall behind him.

He'd been cornered.

Slade remained uncharacteristically silent through the entire thing; even now, having backed Robin into a corner, there was no smile underneath his mask.

Frowning with determination, Robin shifted his stance. When your back is to the wall, there's only one thing to do-----he had to fight back. Hard. He was a long way from done for; Slade had no idea who he was fighting. The Boy Wonder tightened his grip on his improvised esgrima and----------

BANG!

The bullet went straight through Robin's left shoulder. He hit the wall hard, immediately sliding down against it. Alert, though in pain, he looked for the gun that had shot him.

BANG! BANG!

Two more bullets cut through the air and embedded themselves in the wall above Robin. Through the growing fog of blood loss, he saw Slade's hand as it shakily reached up and touched his chest in disbelief. The villains gloved fingers came away wet and Robin could've sworn his one visible eye narrowed as it absorbed this new development.

BANG!

One last bullet found its mark. Blood exploded from Slade's forehead and sprayed Robin as he lay against the wall, barely conscious.

The villain fell to his knees; his sightless eye made contact with Robin's masked ones and then Slade collapsed, dead. A pool of blood grew under him, swiftly reaching Robin.

Unbelieving, Robin looked past the corpse and at the shooter. His eyes widened in shock.

Towering above Slade's lifeless body like a goddess of the Dead stood Batgirl, smoking gun in hand.

* * *

_Red Notes:_

_Hah. You thought that was it? Well, it kind of is and it kind of isn't. There's an Epilogue waiting in the wings. I guess I shouldn't call it an epilogue since it's really more of the final chapter, but I figure that since the main argument is resolved everything that comes after is extra and that's why it's an epilogue. _

_I'm too excited to comment further. But just you wait to see everything I have to say after I finally get to type out THE END..._

_Please, review. I'll love you forever if you do._

_--Fée_


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